Hamzah Nsaed Khadim, a 63–year–old farmer from Diyala, Iraq, suffering from urinary bladder cancer, got a new lease of life after urologist Dr RK Shimpi performed a new kind of surgery known as neo bladders after radical cystectomy of urinary bladder.

Khadim was diagnosed as having muscle deep urinary bladder cancer after he started getting blood in his urine, a condition medically termed as hematuria. Despite extensive medication, his condition did not see any improvement. Dr RK Shimpi said, "He was advised to undergo surgery in Iraq, where they would remove his bladder completely. After that, a segment of small intestine would be isolated and kidney tubes would be joined to this and attached to the abdominal wall. A plastic pouch would be attached to this outside his body to collect the urine.

"The pouch requires changing every few days and can fall off during bathing or other activity, leading to urine leaking out and leading to a stinking smell."

However, despite the fact that Khadim faced a considerable risk of early death if not treated of the cancer, he refused to undergo surgery, as the prospect of being ridiculed for having a plastic bag to collect the urine wasn’t acceptable to him.

"He had other issues such as being clean for offering namaz, and detested the thought of smelling of urine all the time. For three months, he refused treatment and was referred to a New Delhi hospital. However, they offered the same surgery as the Iraqi doctors had suggested. That’s when his friend, who had been treated in Pune, referred him here, and we offered him the latest technique of neo bladders, which creates a bladder inside the body itself," added Dr Shimpi.

Khadim agreed to this procedure, and was operated three weeks ago in a five–hour long surgery. A battery of post–operative tests confirmed he was cancer–free, and on Thursday he was discharged from the hospital.