Abreast cancer survivor, Tahira Kashyap Khurrana has always been vocal about the trials and tribulations on her road to recovery, which she says has helped hundreds of women stay hopeful and strong in their fight against cancer. This Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October), she recalls reaching out to unknown people on social media and encouraging them to be strong in their fight against cancer.

“Cancer patients, with whom I had no connection at all, approached me through my friends. There were many who messaged me on social media, and I have spoken to several of them. I have made random calls to people to talk about my journey as well as hear theirs,” she tells us. 

Sharing one such incident, she says, “A man once found my phone number somehow and asked if I could call his wife, who was battling breast cancer. When he told me she was about to leave for treatment, I video-called her. I can’t tell you how delighted she was.”

Not many know that it was actor Sonali Bendre who gave the author-turned-director the encouragement to stay strong in those difficult times. “I vividly remember before my health issue happened, I opened the newspaper and saw a picture of Sonali Bendre at the airport. She had that bald look with kohl-lined eyes (during the time she was battling cancer). And I was like, ‘Oh my God. What a woman’. That image just stayed with me. A few months down the line, I was in the same situation. Those pictures of her must have had a subliminal effect on me,” says Khurrana.

To the women fighting for another chance to live, she says, “Half the battle is won when we begin perceiving ourselves as strong individuals capable of overcoming everything. That’s why it’s necessary to stop seeing ourselves as victims and instead focus on learning and growing in life.”