Actor Rajshri, who recently announced that she is battling Invasive Ductal Carcinoma, a grade 1 form of breast cancer, is now using her experience to spread awareness about the importance of routine check-ups.

She says, “I called so many friends of mine and nobody had got their breast check-up done. It’s unfortunate. It is a necessity for every woman after the age of 35.”

Reflecting on how a routine check-up helped detect her condition early, she shares, “The doctors initially found a lesion. I moved from Aurangabad to Mumbai, met the doctors and got a sonography done again to confirm what it is. After sonography, I did my biopsy and then got the news.”

The 43-year-old also believes the taboo around the ‘C-word’ needs to end: “Let’s just normalize this! It’s such a taboo that people send condolence-type messages like ‘Oh my God, so sorry’. But nowadays, with the medical facilities, at least cancer gives you time to take some action.”

It has been a month since her diagnosis, but Rajshri is already planning initiatives to raise awareness. “The next few weeks we will have breast cancer awareness workshops. As an actor, I use my pain for my art. In the same way, I will use this pain to make people aware,” she ends.