Gurgaon, Apr 11 (IBNS) India's star cricketer Yuvraj Singh, addressing the media here Wednesday for the first time since his return from US for cancer treatment, said he was thankful to god that he got his life back.
Yuvraj, who underwent treatment for a rare germ cell cancer in Boston, admitted that it would take at least two more months before he returns to the field.
"I am thankful to god that I got back my life. Everybody faces such issues. I am very happy and thankful to everyone that I am out of it," said Yuvraj, who had Indian doctor Nitesh Rohtagi by his side.
"All my fans want me to come back soon, I am sure you people will understand that my body will take time. I will have to take care of my health. I will try to return as soon as possible, in the next two months. I have been through a very tough time," he said.
Yuvraj said his mother, Shabnam, has been his biggest strength during what was the toughest phase of his career.
"My biggest support my mother was there. I don't think without her I would have made this journey. (Cycling legend) Lance Armstrong was very inspiring. 5-6 years back I was reading his book and left it midway for some reason. I had to complete it this way may be. He had similar cancer but his was in the last stage and mine was detected at early stage," he said.
Yuvraj said it was hard for accept the illness when it was first diagnosed in October last year.
"It was tough for me. Six months it took to diagnose whether I had cancer. I think it was tough because I had lot of trouble breathing, I used to cough a lot. There used to be blood in my cough," he recalled.
"I didn't tell anyone, I never showed it to anyone what I was going through. I was always cheerful and kept telling myself that I will be fine but I knew there was a serious issue. I just had to come out of it somehow," he said when asked whether he shared the details of his ailment with his teammates at first.
Yuvraj said he is an optimistic person.
"Mentally, I think I have to be positive. There is lot of happiness inside me. At the moment, I am really happy. So I am very positive. I am just thinking abouat things and just happy to be back," he said.
Yuvraj said he would like to do something for cancer patients given what he himself went through.
"Obviously this thing hit me very hard. Cancer is out of my system but the scar remains. In future I will definitely do something for the people," he said.
Yuvraj said in the last three months avoided watching cricket as it left him frustrated.
"I would stay away from cricket because whenever I saw a match, I used to feel frustrated. Just staying in the house, to get up and do anything was a tough job. I used to try and walk. I played video games, watched movies. My mother would cook for me. I was not able to do much. It was tough to get out of the house and move around," he said.
Yuvraj said American cycling legend Lance Armstrong, who himself survived testicular cancer, was a big influence on him during the treatment.
"Cyclist Lance Armstrong helped a lot and he was an inspiration in my fight against cancer. 5-6 years back I was reading his book and left it midway for some reason. I had to complete it this way may be. He had similar cancer but his was in the last stage and mine was detected at early stage," he said.