New Delhi : Newly married and with a great job, life had just begun for 30-year-old Anshul Sharma when it suddenly hit the pause button. He was diagnosed with leukaemia, a type of blood cancer.

Devastated, he saw his dreams crumble. That was when his doctor offered him fertility preservation - with which he could procreate despite his cancer.

"I was completely shattered when I came to know that I had cancer. It is the kind of mindset that we live in - that cancer means the end of the world. But thankfully for me, I went to the right doctor who said that my cancer was curable and that I could opt for the technique before the treatment, so that my chances of having a child did not diminish," Sharma told IANS.

"Let me tell you, it was not an instant 'yay' moment. At that point, four years back, my and my wife's sole concern was to get rid of the disease. We were given the hope to have a normal life once again, and I gave in," he added.

Today, Sharma's cancer is under control, and he hopes to start a family soon.

Cancer patients, mostly the young, are now often given the choice of fertility preservation by their oncologist before they start treatment, so that their chances of having a family does not end with cancer.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), there are anywhere between 2.8 to 3 million cancer patients in India.

According to Bhawna Sirohi, head of the medical oncology department in the Artemis Health Institute, while it is not necessary that a person suffering from cancer will not bear a child, and chances are high if he or she is young, the treatment procedure - which may include chemotherapy and radiation - diminishes his or her fertility.