Nikhil Autar - Backup Page

The Australian of the Year week has been the most amazing of my life.

When I sat in a nominee only event, where I heard about everyone's passion from their own mouth, that's when it hit me. I was in the most powerful... GOOD room I've been in.

It's been an incredible week. Winning doesn't matter, because we'll all be on the same trajectory of spreading good after this.

Truly honoured.

We find out who wins at 730pm on The ABC.

Since I was a kid, I've been able to sleep through anything - storms, sirens, you name it. Last night, I didn't sleep.

You see, today isn't just any other day. It's my first day.

As a Doctor.

OK, it was just orientation. But it feels good to be here after 12 long years of cancer, relapse, going half-blind, almost going fully blind, second and third cancers, open heart surgery, open neck surgery, and so much more.

You'll probably see another post next week when I actually start working in the wards. And another a week later when I'm actually responsible for people on the ward.

But yeah. I'm so lucky to have even made it. Looking equally forward, and feeling equally afraid of what's to come!

A very expensive, 12 year time consuming piece of paper arrived in the mail today.

It's pretty damn surreal to see this in my hands.

The official graduation ceremony is in 3 days. Emotional times to be sure...

I’ve been nominated for Young Australian of the Year! And I’m in the top 4 in NSW!

Over the last decade or so, my medical degree has been delayed because of my health. But my dad taught me to help people, every change you get.

So even while on break, I tried to make a difference. It started from blogging about my experiences, and speaking. Then, research. But I’ve also worked on some great initiatives, and founded companies too.

Bheem Health is creating affordable medical devices and furniture that makes life safer, easier and more comfortable for all. We've launched a flatpack hospital bed alternative, and are working on an amazing full-bed sensor which will keep people safer at home, for longer.

Doctors Against Violence is a charity I helped grow and helped found as an organisation. It's the largest coalition of doctors dedicated to improving lives of those facing intimate partner violence. We've advocated for an Australian first women's only trauma centre, a $25m one-stop domestic violence centre, constantly upskill, and foster communication between doctors treating patients facing IPV, and helped hundreds of women with grants and treatment.

And Knia Maps - which I recently founded, is the Google Maps of Acccessibility - crowdfunding in depth accessibility information from businesses, governments, and people like you and me. 40% of people with disabilities suffer from significant loneliness, with access to communities a chief complaint. I myself, needing a chair often, am in that box. Hundreds of times, I've put off meeting friends, taking opportunities - even improving my health - because I didn't know whether parking was close, or how far I'd have to walk inside a building. This app will help ME. And hopefully others too.

I hope these initiatives make a difference. No matter what, I'll continue to try to, every change I get!

(Check out the comments to see how ludicrous accessibility is in HOSPITALS. And I'll post the link so you can stream the NSW awards ceremony there too - Monday 530pm AEST!)

I found out I passed my final exam (it was close), and I submitted my last clinical assessment forms... so barring a calamity, by this time NEXT FRIDAY I'll have completed medical school 😲

I've been at this hospital (Campbelltown) for 12 YEARS! From a stupid, scared kid, who didn't know if he was gonna survive to see 3rd year, to a stupid kid doing crazy, embarrassing, but sometimes good things, it's shaped me.

It's not me, it's my family who got me here. The stuff they've done for me... I'll do that true justice next week when I'm actually done.

But yeah. Just surreal.

Next time I'm in clinics... I'll be a doctor. What a terrifying thought that is!



Instagram.com/nikhilautar

Just completed my application for registration as a doctor :😱 :😀

Had to pay $779 (including a $300 application fee).
.

I've been on my (last!!) surgery term the last week... And over the last few weeks, I saw mesh repaired ventral hernias... And just, wow...

I mean laparoscopic surgeries are amazing itself... THEY DO 3 HOLES - 1 FOR A CAMERA, THE OTHER 2 TO PUT INSTRUMENTS THROUGH AND THEY PUMP CARBON DIOXIDE IN TO VIEW EVERYTHING, AND THEN JUST DO SURGERIES LIKE THAT??? The people who discovered this and tested it out must be bloody ANIMALS.

And then WITHIN THOSE 2 TINY HOLES... they ROLL UP A MESH OF 1-2MM SQUARE HOLES WITH A SUTURE IN THE MIDDLE... THEY USE THE CAMERA TO PULL THE MESH UP TO THE ABDOMINAL WALL WITH A SPECIAL LITTLE NEEDLE AND THEN USE THIS COOL ASS PUNCH STAPLE GUN TO ADHERE IT TO THE ABDOMINAL WALL to stop hernias from happening again?

I have a med tech company - we're developing a sensor mat which tracks movement over your entire bed for pressure sore/fall monitoring... so I know just how rigorous a process EVERY SINGLE TINY INSTRUMENT used in these surgeries are. And we're just a class 1, non invasive medical device. The hurdle these guys had to jump must have been CRAZY. And the things these guys do are FASCINATING and just... GODLY.

And this is just a mesh repair... The stuff they do in trauma cases (after motor vehicle accidents etc) and how they do caesareans... It's just amazing.

When coming in to medical school, I used to think surgeons were dumb (probably because I watched a lot of Scrubs), and that is a pervasive preconception held by society and the medical profession. But they have to be not only skilled with their hands, but have to be FAST, and think on their feet, as every single patient is different.

It's so cool. And I think if I was healthy, there'd be a 98% chance I'd be a surgeon.

Just... wow.

I really like GP placements. I get to do my own consults. Recommend prescriptions, scans, referrals (which doctors approve of course), and more. I feel like a real doctor lol.

And you get to see patients with a lot of things that you can actually treat or help with. You see a variety. You get to build relationships that may well last a lifetime. It's a perfect mix of emergency and general medicine if you think about it.

The amount of people with chronic illnesses that you see is insane. And many who you wouldn't even guess were ill if you hadn't seen them.

It reminds you how many people suffer silently. I've been working on a project to map all vital medical infrastructure, walkways and more in my state, inside and outside called Knia Maps ! This placement really affirms how many people could benefit from it.

8 weeks of med school left! I'm actually staying back... gotta make the most of this while i can!



Kniamaps.com if you want to help test the app, or map out the world with us!

I'M ON TV IN 30 MINS!!!

Gettin my cancer wish - A Fishing Trip with one of my favourite fishing TV personalities.

Watch channel 10 Bold LIVE STREAM - Network Ten Stream your favourite 10, Bold, Peach and Shake shows, plus more live channels of unmissable entertainment.

A few moments before I took this, a young man who also needed a , told me it was great to see someone still going despite their challenges. That they'd thought about giving up, even on life, until they saw me.

I've fistbumped a kid, and then his parents, about to graduate . They said it was inspiring for their son to see someone getting around in the real world.

I've talked to hundreds, online and in real life, who have , or es, or who are struggling with their who've said it was so amazing to see someone in the medical field who's been through stuff they had. Someone who really gets it.

I've seen amazing doctors acknowledge, empathise... sometimes lament with people, who are going through long-term health problems.

But I've also seen callous, inconsiderate, and sometimes cruel words/actions directed to our most vulnerable people by s.

is so important in a field like . I know, from experience, just how much more words stick when they're said from the mouth of someone who's been there.

I've talked to thousands, written blogs that have reached millions about how patients feel, and have been given great opportunities to direct this to doctors and researchers.

is tough. Even the top 10/20% of motivated kids find it hard. There's no need to make it tougher for people who already face struggle.

I've been lucky. My very visible illness has been supported. I've been given dozens of second chances, and allowances that have allowed me to almost complete it! But I've seen dozens of friends going through physical , major health events, and mental illness who've been railroaded - driven out by medical school.

We need change. We need to get more kids like me into this course to improve outcomes and change lives.

Because the dude I talked to may not still be alive if he hadn't seen, and had a 5 minute conversation, with me.

We need more who get it out there! It'll take time to change s and culture.

But in the meantime, if you're in this profession. Please... LISTEN. That's the best way to start.



Instagram.com/nikhilautar

Follow my Instagram for more debunking of motivational BS Instagram.com/nikhilautar

OK so I just did my long case with my supervisor, the doctor who had first diagnosed and treated me for leukaemia, and he said that I did well enough to pass my physician exams... which is done by doctors like 5-8 years into their career.

I'm not boasting... I'm just so happy that I got to do that in front of HIM 😁

Tbf, I only had a few basic questions to answer and he probably would expect actual physician trainees to know dosages and the most optimal drug given with reasoning in a real exam. But still!

I attended caesarean section theatres today.
The miracle of birth, that moment of... life... will always get me.

Had my first emergency department shift.
It was great. So many different cases, turning up one after the other. Amazing opportunity to observe procedures and be active in a placement.

But then I see 70, 80, even 90 year old men come in with a heart attacks who survive (some are on their 5th heart attack), and I feel crap. Not for them, obviously but for myself.

My dad had his first heart attack at 55, and never even made it to the hospital.

My placement on the Ward I was Diagnosed, and first Treated in, is over.

12 years ago, in one of these very rooms, a wiry, frizzle-haired, Einstein looking man told me, "The good news is, you're 17 and you have leukaemia, but the bad news is, you're 17... and you have leukaemia.

Today, I spent most of the day, rounding the ward rooms I was treated in with him. I sat in the clinic where I was told I had achieved remission, that my life saving transplant may not happen - that it would - and so much more, by his side.

It was surreal. I had the privilege to peer in to the lives of these people who were going through the hardest times of their lives. Going through things I had too. I learned just how vast and nuanced, blood cancers are. It makes me want to be a haematologist so bad.

And then there was the chance to surprise my nurses; my second mothers, best friends, and life savers during the toughest times of my lives.

I talked to patients going through the same - and often very different - experiences that I had. I consoled some. Shared my stories with others. I learned so much too.

And yesterday, I was offered, and accepted a job to be a doctor - one of their colleagues - myself.

I've come full circle.

The funny thing is... I didn't even choose this rotation - it was randomly assigned to me!
But not once did I hesitate, or consider switching to another one instead. Why? Because I don't associate this place with the immense pain and suffering (some of the worst you can experience) that I went through here, but these amazing people who gave me hope for humanity to this day.

For now, see ya later, 5C.

For now... Because who knows.... I may work here (or wherever they end up moving the haem ward) at some point.

Instagram.com/nikhilautar

I AM TIRED.

So while in America (I'm here to see doctors at the Mayo Clinic - one of the best hospitals in the world apparently), I had my Uber driver drive away with my passport and wallet, while I was trying to get back to the back seat on a motorised scooter I'd hired to get around there.

This was yesterday, July 11, and I had to fly from Las Vegas to Rochester the next morning at 6am. Lyft (uber like company) didn't help despite 50 calls. Filed a police report (lost item, though tbh the driver may have driven off on purpose), but no dice.

So I emailed and called the Australian Consulate in LA, who said they could issue an emergency passport, but only physically in LA. So I cancelled flights and took a bus (because I likely wouldn't clear security without any ID) to LA - 5 hours in a bus with a bathroom which was overloaded with p**p and its stench.

It was at 4am so I didn't get any sleep.

*takes a deep breath*

Eventually got to the consulate general of Australia to get an emergency passport, which they informed me (after assuring me it would be sorted) would take 2-3 business days to get approved. They gave me a receipt for it and wrote a stamped letter from the Consulate General office, outlining the issue and displaying a photo of my old passport, but their security team (the TSA) didn't allow that despite the Consulate General being on the phone to them. The dudes were powertripping and making me limp 50m x 4 times on my necrotic left knee to get stuff printed on paper (my wheelchair guy left at one point early on in this interaction), as boarding time came closer to ending. Despite saying that x or y document would work if I got it printed - which my airline did help me with - the manager overruled everyone saying "tHiS iS hOw iT wOrKs iN tHiS cOuNtRy" even when the Consulate General office was verifiably on the phone with them. They were shocked this was happening. This kind of thing happens once a week, but never goes this pear shaped apparently.

*Takes deeper breath*

I cancelled my 420 flight to rochester, MN, where the Mayo Clinic is, but then Australia verified my passport at 415 and I had until 5 to get my emergency passport ID from 15 miles away, and I got there at 5 despite traffic and walked with my broke ass leg to the elevators and got the passport just in time before they left to go home (they really helped heaps though), then got a Lyft back which was gonna get there 20 minutes before the next flight I booked (635 to Minneapolis, an hour from rochester) due to traffic, in which time (well half, because they don't let you board with 10 mins left) i had to get through security and limp to my gate.

But then suddenly, the flight got delayed by 15 minutes, so I had a bit more time, so I limped 200m (v hard for me... the most I'd done in ages, i didnt have time to wait for a wheelchair as i usually do) to get to my gate.

Now I'm on this flight which gets there at 1230am and then I have another Lyft (even-worse-than-Uber-support competitor) booked to get me to my hotel by 2am and then I have blood tests, xrays, an elastic ultrasound of the liver, and a meeting with an ortho for my knees booked which finishes at 4.

Then I have 1 more day of the most important medical appointments (which I can only get if i secure images from Australia and upload them to an archaic patient portal system by close of business tomorrow - working on that atm), and then I have to see my bank for business banking at 330pm before I fly home on Friday 14 July at 630pm.

These Mayo Clinic docs better cure my GVHD, dyslipidaemia, avascular necrosis, and cancer in general while I'm there.

So many of my disabled/ chronically ill peers can relate to this. Being sick is a JOB.

No meaning behind this. I just wanted to rant.

But I'll be damned... it seems like I'll actually make all this, despite having the $20k USD I paid for this trip to the Mayo Clinic, almost forfeited to a TSA officer's discretion 5-6 hours ago.

lol

I'm getting biopsied for breast cancer???

It seems weird... I'm a guy, wtf? But don't worry. Even with all the chemo and radiation I've had, It's unlikely to be cancer. But yeah, I got a mammogram a few weeks ago as my hormones were messed up/I had concerning signs, and I've had a LOT of toxic drugs in my time. Nothing showed up then, but I have a lump now.

1% of breast cancer patients are men. It does happen...

But the most common cancer in young men is testicular cancer. Checking your fellas every now n then in the shower, for lumps/abnormalities could save your life. I personally have friends who're only here because of this.

And ladies, I think I can sort of empathise with you all. Getting a mammogram HURT. Maybe slightly more (maybe slightly less too) because I have small bobs (maybe not) because to get the best scan, they need to really squeeze hard. I felt the trepidation as I filled in the forms and had the scans, just as much as Ive had when finding my other cancers. It sucks.

But it's really important to do. If you know, or are, a 50-74 year old woman (anyone over 40 gets free mammograms in Aus, I believe), talk to your doctor and consider getting one. 1/10 women will get breast cancer. Getting it early is associated with better outcomes. Better safe than sorry!

Don't worry, I've learned in my time to worry only if/when I need to, as you can see here. I did get told by the radiologist biopsying me that that it's unlikely clinically too. In the end, I'll be OK, either way.

Post exam observations:
Chat GPT is an amazing learning tool.

I've studied a lot over the years of medical school. I changed completely from being on my laptop, digging up answers for past papers through notes, Wikipedia and research papers, to studying entirely off my phone - in the car, at a poker table, even on my boat - anywhere, anytime.

You have to know the content first, to ask the right questions, and you have to prompt a few times to get the right answers to your questions often. It's nowhere near perfect right now. But it's a damn sight better than what we had before its public release.

But if you don't think this is gonna revolutionise not just learning and education, but the world - boy, you're gonna be in for a shock.

MY FINAL MEDICAL SCHOOL EXAMS ARE DONE!!!!!!!

Literally last night, I was in hospital, seeing if the artery I had surgery from had developed an aneurysm and if I was stroking or something...

I was released at 7.

I had my exam at 10.

And got it DONE!!!

12 F*KN YEARS to get here. I still have a clinical exam and a national exam to accredit my prescribing skills to do... but this is the big one every med kid fears.

And it's over.

Surreal feeling. Special thanks to the doctor who rushed me through ED, - getting scans done fast by walking me to then (probably getting yelled at by the surg team for calling them up at night and hurrying them along) so I could make this.

And of course mum, for driving my ass in at 10pm and staying yet another night in hospital. And my bro, who's put up with me and given up days of his youth to get me here. And the man who's made me who I am... you got me through all the tough times through this... drove my ass to uni/hospitals for half of this. I wish you were here to see this milestone 😞

It's not done yet. There's still a lot of learning to do... not just for , but for life.

But yeah. Big moment. Thanks to all y'all who've helped on the way too.

? ?

Instagram.com/nikhilautar

My final medical school exams start tomorrow. Wish me luck!!!!!

We're now getting lectures and meetings about internship and what we'll be doing, and where we could be going next year post med school.

It's getting real folks.

This is by far the hardest thing I've ever done. Please, do come if you can, or livestream. I know he's touched a lot of people.

He was the best man I knew. He always will be. I still can't believe he's gone.

He died suddenly. After being told his heart disease wasn't progressing, he passed away suddenly due to a cardiac event. I did the CPR. I missed a few steps. I couldn't save him.

Please take your health seriously. He and his family didn't, and don't.

But most importantly... Please learn from him. He was an amazing, kind, man. He became friends, and cared for every single person he met. He loved me so much. He's done everything for me. I hope to be a fraction of the man he was.

Thanks to all who've known him and supported him as well in his life.

I'll post a copy of my speech and the service, and a memorial of sorts soon. You can live stream it as well. Details in this pic.

Forward on or share to people you think this would be right for.


DM for address.

He’s gone.

He was the only man who could always make me smile. No matter what.

He shared that with the world though. He had a joke for every occasion. He made the world brighter for everyone.

A great friend nailed it on the head. He always made people feel included, and that they were having fun. He didn’t just chill with the kids at parties and get togethers… he made sure he spent a good 20-30 minutes talking to their grandparents, the people we often put away in the corner. He made sure he looked over his shoulder, offered people a bite of his food (except for us), made servers and checkout chicks smile. He gave of himself generously. He’s passed that on to me.

"Never miss an opportunity to put a smile on someone's face. You never know if your waiter has had a s**t day, or if the kid down the street's parents are fighting. ALWAYS try and spread joy."

Everyone he’s met, he’s changed. From his friends… his family… a bunch of strangers he met at a conference he was at with me… he taught 2 of these twenty-somethings from around the world how to swim, and gave them all a second father, in the span of 2 days. He taught me to catch. He made me smile, during the worst parts of chemo, and life. He took me fishing, even when he didn’t want to. He gave me the best pieces. He was my best, and ONLY friend for so much of my life.

I wish he was here right now. More than anything. Only he could have made me smile.

Right now, I don’t feel like I’ll ever truly smile again. But I know deep down that I will. Because he raised me to be him. I’ll make sure he lives on, through me. I already make the most of life, however much I physically can. I always try to make the world a better place. I always try to put a smile on others’ faces.

For now, I can’t put one on mine. But I know that I eventually will.



The best man ever. Please share any memory of him that's made you smile.

Instagram.com/nikhilautar

The feeling of closing each and every study tab, and word document, and anki deck after an exam is done..... OMG.

HARDEST TERM OF MED SCHOOL DONE!

Did not snitch. Still got stitch 😞

Detox, AntiVax and Woo Insanity .

Praise be!!!

After losing his parents, Suryia, a 3-year-old orangutan, was so depressed he wouldn't eat and didn't respond to medical treatment. The vets thought he may die from sadness.
The zookeepers found an old sick dog named Roscoe on the grounds in the park at the zoo where the orangutan lived and took the dog to the animal treatment center. The dog arrived at the same time the orangutan was there being treated...

The two lost souls met and have been inseparable ever since.

The orangutan found a new reason to live, and each of them always tries his best to be a good companion to his newfound friend.
They are together 24 hours a day in all their activities. They live in Northern California, where swimming is their favorite pastime.
Although, Suryia (the orangutan) is a little afraid of the water and needs his friend's help to swim. Together they have discovered the joy and laughter in life and the value of friendship. ♥️🐾🦧

https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/newscentre/news_centre/more_news_stories/medical_student_and_youth_cancer_advocate_recognised

Medical student and youth cancer advocate recognised | Western Sydney University Western Sydney University Chancellor Professor Peter Shergold AC and Nikhil Autar, recipient of the Chancellor’s Unsung Heroes Award for 2022.

Anyone can catch viruses including COVID19 and monkeypox, regardless of their age, gender, nationality, sexual orientation or any other factor.

Viruses don't discriminate and neither should we.