How These Celebrities Braved Breast Cancer

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October is hailed as Breast Cancer Awareness month and is dedicated to creating awareness about the disease. The World Health Organisation (WHO) states breast cancer as the most frequent cancer among women, impacting 2.1 million women each year, and cause of the greatest number of cancer-related deaths among women. Early diagnosis has been determined to be key in cancer treatment by reducing barriers to care and/or improving access to effective diagnosis services. If breast cancer is identified at an early stage, it allows more effective treatment and reduces the risks of death to a great extent. Screening and testing women to even with no symptoms is vital and using tools like mammography, clinical breast exam and breast self-exam.

This month we bring to you stories of some popular women who fought their own breast cancer battles and conquered it, showing many others out there that resilience and courage can be key to fighting a deadly disease and if they can do it, so can many others. They prove that there is a life after it too.

Mumtaz

The famous yesterday actress Mumtaz who gave hits like Khilona, Apna Desh, Roop Tera Mastana, revealed recently that she was diagnosed with breast cancer in the year 2000 when she was 54, after identifying a malignant lump in her breasts. She overcame it with determination and family support after medical intervention and rounds of chemotherapy. Mumtaz quoted in a media interview, “I don’t give up easily. Even death will have to fight me.”

Martina Navratilova

The Wimbledon tennis champion was diagnosed with a non-invasive form of cancer, called ductal carcinoma in situ, which was detected during a mammogram in 2010. The cancer was surgically removed followed by radiation treatments, and Martina, who said she skipped her mammogram for several years, urged women to get the test done regularly.

Christina Applegate

Christina Applegate, who played Jennifer Aniston’s sister in the series Friends has undergone a double mastectomy after she was diagnosed with cancer in 2008. She had inherited the BRCA1 genetic mutation, a trigger for breast cancer, which her mother is also a survivor. In 2009, she founded Right Action for Women, which assists women at increased risk for breast cancer who don’t have the insurance or financial means to cover the high costs of breast screenings.

Sheryl Crow

Singer and a Grammy award winner Sheryl Crow was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006 at the age of 44 and underwent minimally invasive surgery and radiation. “With your diagnosis comes a lesson, and for women who’ve shared their lesson with me, it’s always the same,” she told in a media interview. “Women are overachievers. We take care of the people around us while we work and do a thousand [other] things.” But she women must learn “to put on their oxygen mask first before putting it on anyone else.”

Gautami Tadimalla

Famous south Indian actress Gautami was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 35 and overcame it. She is known for her films Apoorva Sagodhararargal, Raja Chinna Roja, Dharma Durai, and Iruvar. She has also done Bollywood films Janta Ki Adalat, Pyar Hua Chori Chori, and Teesra Kaun? and also became a costume designer later.

“I received my diagnosis of breast cancer on a Valentine’s Day”, she wrote in her blogpost Life again in 2016. “I guess. I was fortunate. I had loved ones around me, supporting me in whatever way they could. And through it all was my daughter, who walked with me every step of the way”. She has found an NGO Life Again Foundation.

Tahira Kashyap

Actor Ayushman Khurana’s wife Tahira Kashyap has been in the news recently for her diagnosis of breast cancer and how she battled it bravely. Tahira had “stage 0” breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy procedure. She has a show, “My Ex-Breast”, a 7-episode series on Audible Suno, where she talks about fighting cancer and its effect on her family. She has also turned author with her recent book, 12 Commandments of Being a Woman.

These women have only fought through their sufferings to emerge stronger at life. Do you or someone you know has a cancer story to share? Let us know in the comments.

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Netflix’s Bombay Begums is much in the news now for its depiction of the flawed, imperfect portrayal of women who have made mistakes, have been violated, have fallen apart, and yet have succeeded in gathering their pieces back together in a man’s world. The realistic characters of the protagonists make them relatable because they are just like us- falling for temptations, giving into desires, and yet owning up their mistakes and standing tall and these are the naaris we need to see more of- sanskaari or not.

Here are 6 times the Bombay Begums owned up and refused to give in

1. When Ayesha finally gathers the courage to stand up against her sexual abuse, even after she admitted earlier that it was consensual.

There is no right or wrong way to report abuse. We may take time to process what has happened and when we can we should be able to change our narrative if that is the right thing to do.

2. When the board asks Rani to quit because her affair leaks.

Rani refuses to give in to the board’s request to quit on the basis of rumours. She is able to differentiate her personal and professional life and even though she may have made a mistake she won’t let that overshadow her professional course.

3. When Fatima realizes she made a mistake judging Deepak’s character and had victim-blamed Ayesha.

Once Fatima realized that what she did was wrong and had failed all along to see the man that Deepak was, she did not hesitate to accept that she was wrong and right her mistakes to get Ayesha justice. And so does Rani.

4. When Lily witnesses Ayesha’s molestation in the car and speaks up for her.

Initially Lily is the one who informs Rani about the car abuse situation between Ayesha and Deepak and urges Ayesha to stand up for what is right. When Ayesha lies saying it was consensual, she tells her that being a prostitute she can identify what is consensual and what is not.

5. When Rani tells her stepdaughter Shai about her sexual abuse.

Even though Rani is not accepted as a mother by her stepdaughter, she doesn’t stop trying. Instead she becomes vulnerable and opens up to her about the sexual abuse she suffered at the beginning of her career, telling Shia that it’s never worth it to let men own any aspect of their life at any point.

6. When Fatima confronts her husband’s team at work.

Fatima shows how she does not let her relationship with her husband come in the way when she has to reprimand him and his team for forgoing a deadline. Whatever equation she may share with her husband at home and whatever insecurities they may have with each other, Once she is in her seat, all she knows is to do her job and do it right.

Bombay Begums may not have been perfect and is also flawed in many ways but we have to give it to them for showing real, vulnerable characters bearing open their fears, insecurities. It also has opened up conversations about menstruation, menopause, miscarriages, sexual abuse and unconventional marriage depiction.