In a candid interview to Kaumudy TV in 2020, Kodiyeri talked about his illness…| VIDEO

Despite his illness, late CPM leader Kodiyeri Balakrishnan did not deviate from his daily party routines. Kodiyeri had once said, ‘What's the point of worrying about the disease, you have to fight it.’ While he was under treatment, he only went to AKG Centre which is opposite to his flat.
In a candid interview to Kaumudy TV in May 2020 he talked about his illness, the pancreatic cancer
“This disease comes to anyone most unexpectedly. Sometimes, there may be no symptoms even when you get the disease. I came to know about it on Oct 19, 2019. But On Oct 20, on CH Kanaran day, I spoke for about one and a half hrs in Thalassery. But at that time no body knew about it
Then I had petscan after that by-election results came out. Following which I held a press conference in Thiurvananthapuram. Only next day I went for treatment.
Pet Scan was done in a hospital in Kannur. Someone had called up and informed the CM about this...
CM called me and asked me not to take the health issue lightly. The very next day he made arrangements to start my treatment. I informed only a few comrades.
Once we are inflicted with this disease we should not get shaken or shattered. A mental strength is needed. There is treatment today for it but what problem is when you don’t get it treated.
Detecting the disease is the first thing you should do… then treatment can be started.
When asked how the disease was detected in him he said: I used to got Jyoti Dev’s diabetic centre for routine sugar test.
Once the doctor found something suspicious about the blood test results and he insisted on CT scan and the disease became evident then.

In the US Mayo clinic, many Malayali doctors came to my help. Later it was Dr Aju Mathew of Ernakulam Kozhancherry med college Dr Aju Mathew who did chemotherapy for me.
Kodiyeri had said that with two more months’ treatment he would be relieved of this disease” That was his positive response two years ago.
This year on Aug 29 he was admitted to Chennai Appolo hospital and the 68 yr old veteran CPM leader breathed his last on October at 8 pm