Govind Sandhu expresses gratitude as he shares his journey through a non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma diagnosis and treatment.
At 38, marathon runner Govind Sandhu was taken aback by a stage 4 cancer diagnosis, which he is now documenting.
“I’m 38 years old and I’ve been diagnosed with stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. What. The. Hell?” Sandhu, who leads Global Music Partnerships at TikTok Australia, announced in an Instagram video on Monday.
“This wasn’t part of my five-year plan,” he explained. “I believed I was in peak condition—an ultra-marathoner and CrossFit enthusiast dedicated to fitness, sleep, recovery, and nutrition.”
Sandhu continued, “I had just completed 75 Hard”—a demanding fitness program known to sometimes lead to hospitalization—“and was training intensely in Bali for a couple of weeks.”
He revealed he received his diagnosis after finishing the Sydney half-marathon.
“Speechless,” he said.
“I ran the half-marathon and was also trail running in a remote part of Australia, all while stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma was spreading in my body,” he later detailed, according to The New York Post.
Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is a cancer that originates in the lymph nodes, where abnormal growth of white blood cells can cause tumors throughout the body, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Although Sandhu didn’t disclose his prognosis, Verywell Health notes that the five-year survival rate for various types of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma ranges from 57% to 86%.
After the marathon, Sandhu experienced flu-like symptoms, neck, knee, and shoulder pain, and severe night sweats, prompting him to see a doctor, The New York Post reported.
“You don’t know what you don’t know,” he later wrote on Instagram as news of his diagnosis spread. “Schedule a general check-up, get your blood work done, and talk to your doctor. It’s a simple first step to stay ahead of any issues!”
Now sharing his cancer journey, Sandhu posted a photo of his medication, jokingly calling them his “supercharged” pills for “chemo administration day.”
He recorded a video on his way to Saint Vincent’s Private Hospital for a two-day chemotherapy session, saying, “Honestly, I’m ready for it. I had a good night’s sleep, a nice dinner, and a lovely breakfast this morning. I see it as another step on the road to recovery.”
Sandhu maintained a positive attitude with a video tour of the chemo ward, flashing a peace sign during his treatment.
“Feeling very lucky,” he captioned the video, later updating followers after his second day of treatment.
“Not feeling too bad,” he shared, admitting that the first day was “overwhelming.”
“Super comfortable, very lucky,” he said.
“All in all, a really successful day—considering everything.”
The Quran - Chapter Al-Hadid : 14
The tormented will cry out to those graced, “Were we not with you?” They will reply, “Yes ˹you were˺. But you chose to be tempted ˹by hypocrisy˺, ˹eagerly˺ awaited ˹our demise˺, doubted ˹the truth˺, and were deluded by false hopes until Allah’s decree ˹of your death˺ came to pass. And ˹so˺ the Chief Deceiver deceived you about Allah.
