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Shobha McIntosh: a warrior, pushing back against adversities Nov 02, 2025 News, Waterfalls Magazine By Shermon Hawker (Kaieteur News) – During the day, her dedicated hours are spent in the classroom, shaping the minds of the ‘leaders of tomorrow.’ Residue of chalk on her clothing offers evidence to her almost unchanged setting all day. A trained educator, Shobha McIntosh snatches a major portion of her happiness from being with her pupils at Learners’ Academy. As a mother and wife, she basks in the abiding love of her family. Then there are days when, just as ominous clouds creep up and smother the sun, her mood shatters as a wineglass thrown violently against a wall, and she is left to gather the hundreds of broken pieces which in effect are identified with her private fragmented emotions, for Shoba McIntosh is a cancer patient, who has been fighting the dreaded disease for more than a decade. In October, the world over commemorates Breast Cancer Awareness month. This feature unveils the trials, anguish, determination, triumph and continued journey of a woman who confronted harsh and unimaginable health realities and stayed afloat throughout her personal tempests. Uncertainty becoming the new norm Ms. Shobha, a fairly well-known individual of Glasgow Housing Scheme, East Bank Berbice, and Stanleytown, New Amsterdam, is a 40-year-old mother of 17-year-old Showain and 15-year-old Showaina McIntosh. She is effectually the first lady of the town of New Amsterdam, being the wife of Mayor, Wainwright McIntosh. Outside the bounds of nothing being perfect, and also of everyone having their fair share of normal, everyday issues, life was otherwise relatively stable for the ever graceful and warm teacher. The pleasant paragraph of her daily life, and that of her family, was one day punctuated with the health snare that inserted itself in the family 13 years ago, and it was from then, the McIntoshs were forced to live with the unwanted guest. Confronting a deadly foe Shobha told this publication that she had collapsed one afternoon, and that her husband took her to the New Amsterdam Regional Hospital, where she was assessed but her situation proved inconclusive. There was the belief also that her blood pressure was low. Dissatisfied, the family opted for an alternative medical opinion, and at a private hospital in Georgetown. It was there that the plot of Shobha’s life would take an extreme twist. “My journey got complicated during a visit to the Balwant Singh hospital. After I was still feeling unwell, my husband decided to take me there. Upon completing a few tests, which included urinary and blood, they found out that they are seeing some signs of active cancer cells, but it could not have been ruled out at that point.” Concerned, she was encouraged to have a biopsy done. A biopsy is the removal and examination of tissues, cells, or fluids from the living body. According to her, this critical examination could have only been facilitated through the Balwant Singh hospital. The results, after a tense and uncertain period of nine days, came back positive of cancerous activity. Warped into a world of depression For many who have undergone radical changes to their lives, most of which came about suddenly, the stress of adjusting and processing the new development is heavily exacting on the mind. She was well into her journey as a teacher and settling comfortably in her role as a mother. She could not imagine such a fate befalling her. She lapsed in and out of depression, and her zones took on a character of being present in the body but mentally distant, as she had many days of just “spacing out.” “At that time, being a young professional, mother and wife, I thought it best to compose my emotions and look forward for a positive outcome. I wouldn’t say I wasn’t depressed or saddened or broken, because I was.” Fuelled by whatever shred of optimism she could have mustered, Shobha rallied mentally and physically. She said the New Amsterdam Hospital said her situation was beyond its capacity. Nothing seemed to be helping her situation, and she was racked with physical and mental anguish. Reflecting, she said she noticed her physical deterioration, and recalled that her body had greatly weakened. She was also required to frequently take medication with specific emphasis on increasing her blood count. A ray of light, storm clouds return After completing her first major surgery at the Balwant Singh Hospital, she was handed heartening news that she was cancer-free. This triggered an offload of mental frustration and despair which had been festering for months. The relief was tremendous. Life resumed, though cautiously, with some inkling of normalcy. It was all short-lived. “I was well for 19 months, 6 days,” she detailed precisely. Shobha experienced great physical agony, and there were days when she boldly endured, and others when she felt totally overwhelmed. As her symptoms resurfaced, she sought a second opinion for which she travelled to Trinidad. Doctors there detected some active cancer cells, and then began an undertaking in earnest to locate the source. Subsequently, she went to the United States, where she was admitted, down with liver metastasis, which is caused by a spread of cancer cells from a main tumor to another organ to the liver, forming smaller tumors. Reasons for living Support, both tangible and effectual, goes a great distance along the way of aiding in one’s recovery both physically and mentally. As a woman who has experienced the medical highs and lows of being a cancer patient, Shobha has opened her massive coffers of gratitude to her family who she noted always gave her the hope and encouragement she so vitally needed to survive the circumstances. At 40-years-old, she has to date undergone 10 sessions of chemotherapy in the form of drips and tablets, as well as forty sessions of radiation. None of these are as pleasant as waiting to be served at a cafeteria. She persevered, nonetheless. “I was on the hospital bed and I heard my kids saying ‘mommy you have to fight this!” Spurred on by these sentiments, she was able to reconfigure her priorities and her purposes where necessary, as she felt more than ever that she owes a lot as a mother, wife and teacher to her kids, husband and students. These notions, along with the love shown by those closest to her, lent to her mentally muscling her way through the tough times, and now with an unmatched determination to best her situation, the educator of 23 years would even here and there sidestep medical prohibitions such as that of avoiding much sunlight post-radiation, which can insidiously draw on skin cancer. Such defiance, on account of her love for teaching. Her faith in God played a defining role in her survival, she affirmed. Surrending circumstances to God, and wallowing in faith for His will for her life, gave her all the assurances she needed throughout her battles. Even though now she occasionally feels tired, and she has been experiencing pain about her body, she stated that overall, she is “just thankful.” A casual drop by at Learners’ Academy in Chapel Street, New Amsterdam, which she runs alongside her husband, would find her dutifully engaged in imparting knowledge to her absorbent pupils, and her affectionate smile and welcoming personality would never give anyone an idea even in the slightest, that she is fighting, purposely so, one of the biggest threats to human life. Such is the positive intent of one who knows what it is to confront adversities of the highest level and carve out a story of encouragement to share. Such is the ongoing story of Mrs. Shoba McIntosh. “Just thankful.” adversities, educator, Learners’ Academy, Shobha McIntosh, warrior
