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In a desperate bid for survival, newlywed primary school teacher Krianna Varsha Roopnarine is fighting cancer while struggling to hold on to the career she loves.
Speaking to Guardian Media last Monday, Roopnarine said in 2022, she was diagnosed with stage 2B Hodgkin’s and Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, which are blood cancers in the lymphatic system.
For three years, Roopnarine said she endured some of the most aggressive treatments modern medicine can offer — two cycles of R-CHOP chemotherapy (Rituximab, Cyclophosphamide, Hydroxydaunorubicin/Doxorubicin, Oncovin/Vincristine, and Prednisone), two cycles of ABVD chemotherapy (Adriamycin/Doxorubicin, Bleomycin, Vinblastine, and Dacarbazine), followed by two cycles of Escalated BEACOPP chemotherapy (Bleomycin, Etoposide, Adriamycin/Doxorubicin, Cyclophosphamide, Oncovin/Vincristine, Procarbazine, and Prednisone), and finally 20 sessions of targeted radiation therapy.
Each round left her body weaker, her energy drained, and her spirit tested. Yet, through every crushing side effect, every wave of fatigue and nausea, she chose to keep fighting, determined not to let cancer silence her dreams of teaching, of marriage, and of motherhood.
“I prayed that the cancer would go away so I could finally get married and have a family, but even after all of these treatments and managing all the side effects, both physical and emotional, the cancer remains more aggressive than ever,” she revealed.
Roopnarine said last December, she and her fiancé, Shavvar Jadubancy, decided to steal a moment of happiness and get married.
“For a few fleeting hours, cancer was not the shadow hanging over us. It was just two teachers in love, stealing a moment of happiness in a battle that had already stolen so much from us,” she whispered.
Roopnarine, who teaches at Iere Village Primary school, said although cancer has robbed her of health, energy, and normalcy, she refuses to let it rob her of passion and love.
“My passion is teaching. Just seeing a child thrive — that’s what I live for,” she said.
Although cancer has begun chipping away at that joy, Roopnarine said the fatigue from chemotherapy often leaves her drained, forcing her to plan lessons around her body’s limits.
She said her students, though, have become her unexpected strength.
“They notice when I’m tired,” she smiled.
“They’ll say, ‘Miss, let me do it for you.’ They’re so sweet. But I don’t want their childhood to be about helping me. I want to be fully there for them.”
Roopnarine said what breaks her most, however, is the family she has not yet had.
“I’ve always wanted children,” she whispered, tears brimming in her eyes.
“It feels like cancer has stolen that dream too.”
She revealed that the hopeful faces of her students and the love of her husband give her the strength to fight harder.
“I don’t want cancer to take everything from me and that is why I want a chance to live,” she added.
Doctors at Fortis Memorial Research Institute in India have agreed to treat her, but the cost is US$100,000 for the bone marrow transplant, travel, and post-operative care. For a young teacher on a public salary and a family already stretched thin, Roopnarine said this feels like an impossible mountain to climb.
“I’ve reached the last lap,” she admitted.
“Every time we fight back with chemotherapy, the cancer comes roaring back. The transplant is my only chance at life.”
Her husband, Shavvar, urged the public to help him save his wife.
“For her students, Krianna is not just ‘Miss Roopnarine’. She’s their patient guide, the one who sits beside struggling readers, helping them sound out their first words, the one who cheers their every small victory. She loves these children and she wants to live for them,” he said.
Shavvar said it was difficult watching the woman he loves suffer, knowing he can’t take away the pain.
“Doctors have warned that if she achieves remission after her next round of treatment, there will be only a six-week window to undergo the transplant — that golden opportunity that may never come again and that is why we are trying our best to raise the funds,” he said.
Shavvar said their family, friends, and colleagues have thrown themselves into fundraisers — barbecues, book drives, community events — but the total remains heartbreakingly short.
“We can’t do it alone anymore,” he admitted.
“We need the kindness of strangers. This is literally life or death for me now.”
Despite the pain, exhaustion, and uncertainty, the couple clings fiercely to hope.
“I never let myself believe cancer will kill me,” she said. “My fear isn’t death — it’s losing myself. I don’t want cancer to take away who I am — the teacher, the woman who loves children, the wife who dreams of a family.”
For now, Roopnarine and Shavvar pray their story will reach the hearts of those who can help Roopnarine fight for the future she deserves — the future of a teacher, a wife, and one day, perhaps, a mother.
Those wishing to support Roopnarine in her fight for life can donate to:
Shavvar Dass Jadubancy – First Citizens Bank, Savings Account, Gulf View Branch – Account Number 3130671.
She can be reached at 467-2415 or through her fundraiser at gofund.me/278e7bb1.
English (US) ·