Category: Events

Zuvius:  What were the circumstances that made you decide to go for a checkup?

Archna: I noticed one node in my neck and immediately I decided to get all my checkups done.

My husband and I consulted our family doctor and all the cancer-related checkups were done. I was diagnosed with third stage advanced renal carcinoma.

Zuvius: How did you decide which hospital / doctor you should go to for further treatment?

Archna: We decided MAX SAKET is best for this treatment. Dr. Harit Chaturvedi advised the immediate removal of the left kidney. The surgery was done within two days.

Zuvius:  What was your immediate response on learning you had cancer?

Archna: I got upset and was shocked to hear it. It felt like all of my senses had gone.

Zuvius: Who was the first person you called to tell about your diagnosis?

Archna: I gathered everyone in my family together and broke the news to them.

Also read: Story Of A Brave Heart And A Cancer Survivor: An Interview With Aruna Khot

Zuvius:  Who and what kept your spirit up, gave you the strength and confidence to go through this difficult phase of treatment without losing hope?

Archna: My family especially my kids and my friends. They all were my source of energy. They always boosted up my moral and kept my hopes alive.

 Zuvius:   What were the physical changes seen in yourself, in your daily life and how did you cope with those?

Archna: I got very weak after my surgery and chemotherapy but I tried to think positively that everything will be fine.

Zuvius: What is the first thing you decided to do after you were declared cancer free?

Archna: I wanted to go out with my kids for a ride, drive my car by myself to Sai Baba Temple.

Zuvius: Did having cancer change your perspective on life, things around you?

Archna: Yes I did notice a little bit of a change in my thoughts, but not in a remarkable way. I had a weaker immune system so I used to take more care about even little things and for my kids as well.

Zuvius: Did it affect the lives of people around you? If so how?

Archna: Yes it did. I was always the one who ran about taking care of every little need of my family and loved cooking for them but then I got stuck in one room and my kids had to take care of their studies and cooking and everything else.

I always felt bad that I am ill but soon after my third chemo I started doing my household chores for my family and kids and felt happy.

Zuvius: What were your conceptions about cancer before and after the treatment?

Archna: Everyone should care for themselves.  We should not ignore even the little symptoms of our body. It could be alarming for our lives.

Zuvius: If asked to say something to motivate cancer victims what would you say?

Archna:The best thing is to be positive and think positively in every manner and remind yourself every moment that – I AM GOING TO BE OKAY SOON AND I AM FINE. BE POSITIVE

True beauty never really fades away. It may wear down with the tides of time but will always remain a source of joy and comfort.

Manish Koirala is one such beauty. After a stint with cancer she has come out of it totally unscathed and the beautiful Manisha is as gorgeous as ever bubbling with the joy of living and this time living it in the right way.

This Bollywood beauty and superstar made her debut in the huge block buster, star studded “Saudagar” and gently breezed into the hearts of millions with “1942- a love story.” She moved out of the lime light and normal life when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2012. After extensive and appropriate treatment, today, three years later she is happy to announce to the world that she is cancer free!

Also read: Story Of A Brave Heart And A Cancer Survivor: An Interview With Archna Kapoor

When asked about cancer Manisha quipped

“Cancer is not the dreaded disease that Bollywood movies portray”. With early detection, right treatment and a strong support system healing is possible and complete. She is living proof that you can beat cancer!

Manisha calls being cancer free a “rebirth”. She both learnt and unlearned a lot. Her maxim is “when you have no choice but to face it you will do it” and for her tough days are eye openers.

Now Manisha Koirala is a strong, positive, vibrant and happy woman for whom the journey of cancer was a path of experience. She prefers to call the different phases of her life as the different colours of existence. Cancer never broke her spirit; instead it has made her passionate about the small joys of life. She has plenty of dreams and a whole life before her to fulfil them all.

The face we saw and loved on screen as an actor is now a face that inspires consoles and comforts. She is part of many organizations working for the promotion of women’s rights, protection of the girl child and prevention of human trafficking.

As an active social worker Manisha’s celebrity status and personal story help her in educating others who battle cancer and she is actively involved in spreading awareness about cancer and the importance of early detection, dispelling myths, discarding stigmas attached to it and motivating people to fight cancer with a positive outlook.

For actor Manisha Koirala her greatest strength is her belief that being positive in life is the best way to face life. She beat cancer and nothing is more relevant than that.

And now Manisha Koirala has joined hands with Cricketer Yuvraj Singh who also fought to beat cancer and together they have pepped up millions of people by asserting

Zuvius: What were the circumstances that made you decide to go for a checkup?

Aruna: I experienced continuous loss of appetite and loss of weight, skin trouble and change of taste for nearly 1 ½ years. After various tests, running around consulting various doctors for nearly 1 ½ years, finally was diagnosed on 26.02.11 with Ovarian cancer.

Zuvius: How did you decide which hospital/doctor you should go to for further treatment?

Aruna: I decided to go to Mahavir Cancer Hospital, Jaipur as my late brother knew the doctors there who had earlier treated my mother for breast cancer. Also, I was staying alone in Delhi with my two kids and there was no one to look after me.

Zuvius: What was your immediate response on learning you had cancer?

Aruna: Initially, just numbness. Slowly it started to sink in and devastation and trauma set in.

Zuvius: Who was the first person you called to tell about your diagnosis?

Aruna: My late brother.

Also read: Saliva Flow Rate & Bacterial Load In Mouth

Zuvius: Can you tell us what kind of cancer you had and what was the procedure of treatment prescribed?

Aruna: I was detected with Ovarian Cancer Stage III, on 26.02.11. The treatment prescribed was 3 cycles of chemotherapy, surgery (removal of ovaries and uterus and other affected parts) and again 3 cycles of chemotherapy.

In Oct-Nov 2012 there was a relapse and the cancer and spread to various parts of the body. Again 9 cycles of chemotherapy were prescribed which was over in August, 2013.

In September, 2014 there was second relapse and 6 cycles of chemotherapy with 2 chemos within 8 days in each cycle were prescribed. This phase of chemos was over in February 2015. I am presently in remission and on medicines.

Zuvius: Who and what kept your spirit up, gave you the strength and confidence to go through this difficult phase of treatment without losing hope?

Aruna: My children – daughter and son, for whom I had to get better as they had lost their father at a very young age. I had to keep my spirit up always so that they had the strength to come out of this trauma as better persons.

My later brother, his wife and my mother always took care of me and supported me to keep my hopes high.

And I cannot thank Internet and smart phone and especially Twitter for keeping me busy and my mind diverted through the ordeal.

Zuvius: What were the physical changes seen in yourself, in your daily life and how did you cope with those?

Aruna: During the chemotherapy for the first time I had lost all my hair, my skin had turned dark and I had lost lot of weight. I had become very weak. Though I was not looking very good I made sure that I remained fresh always, wore fresh ironed clothes every day. I got up early and got ready as I used to get ready for office.  I kept my mind diverted by getting involved in all the TV serials my mother used to watch. And Twitter also kept me busy.

Zuvius: Did having cancer change your perspective on life, things around you?

Aruna: Yes. Cancer has made me fearless and I now believe in living the moment. I have developed new hobbies like gardening, knitting for kids of friends/colleagues/relatives, phone photography, writing blogs and poems. I have become calmer and I am at peace with myself. I have stopped thinking about the future.

Zuvius: Did it affect the lives of people around you? If so how?

Aruna: Yes it has. My children have become more responsible, caring and grateful for everything they have. We cherish each other more and enjoy living in the moment.

Zuvius: What were your conceptions about cancer before and after the treatment?

Aruna: I was very scared of cancer before it hit me. I was so scared that I avoided looking at any cancer hospital whenever I chanced to pass by any Cancer Hospital. I had seen my friend die of cancer and it scared me to death.

After having been diagnosed with ovarian cancer and the treatment still going on, now I am not so scared and in fact my doctors assured me that they will treat the disease as diabetes is treated i.e. it will be kept under control. I am now comfortable. In fact I am now more at ease and happier.

Two momentous events occurred in his life, one after the other and it is from these, Yuvraj Singh, the man admired by millions in India, emerged!

Everything about Yuvraj’s life is spectacular.

He debuted for India in 2000 as a nineteen year old and in 2011 the Indian national cricket team won the World cup. The Player of the Tournament in the ICC World Cup was Yuvraj Singh. That same year he faced the greatest battle of his life the fight against Mediastinal Seminoma, a malignant germ cell tumour located between his lungs.

A childhood full of running, falling and getting up; an adult hood full of pushing limits, jumping hurdles and always winning! Cancer could never defeat Yuvraj Singh. Throughout the entire ordeal what gave him strength was the confidence he had in his ability to overcome difficulties, the same confidence which led to winning the world cup.

Yuvraj says when he first heard that he had cancer it was like a fist in the gut. His first thought was “I have just won the world cup. How can I have cancer?”

From that moment it was a fight to win. Yuvraj did everything he could do to keep up a positive outlook while his doctor Dr Einhorn, IU Simon Cancer Centre, Indianapolis, who has treated more athletes suffering from cancer than anyone else, took over his treatment. His mother, his family and friends were a constant source of support and encouragement for him.

When asked to describe how fighting cancer was, Yuvraj’s reply was “It was like facing the toughest bowling of my life in the worst possible conditions.” The aggressive southpaw, whose name is a legend in cricket, has never been stopped by the toughest bowling. He always hit a six. And as for cancer, he beat it!

Today Yuvraj Singh is back and the man who is back is an Indian cricketer, World cup player of the tournament and cancer survivor. For him his happiness is cricket and his motivation is ‘Hope’ for without it there is no life.

Also read: Too Young For Cancer, Too Strong To Be Defeated: Prateek Speaks About How He Faced Cancer And Defeated It

His most motivational statement is “Look at me. Cancer doesn’t mean that you’re going to die. The stigma of cancer perhaps can defeat a person than cancer itself.”

Yuvraj’s battle with cancer showed him that there is a silver lining in every dark cloud. Cancer, like other diseases can be cured, if diagnosed early and treated correctly.

But the fact remains that the underprivileged may have to face cancer without much care or help. It is this thought that led him to start YouWeCan, an initiative by Yuvraj Singh Foundation. Its aim is to devote itself entirely for early detection of cancer, set up mobile cancer detection units in rural India for free screenings for one and all because no one should be left to fight cancer alone.

Yuvraj believes that early detection is half the cure and the mission of this remarkable sportsman is to raise awareness about the fact that cancer is not a death sentence. His maxim is “If Yuvi can, you can!”