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Tahira Kashyap Embraces Her Scars Like Badges Of Honour

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According to a report by the International Agency for Research on Cancer’s Globocan, 2018 report, the total number of new cancer cases is estimated to be around at 11,57,294. Between 2012 and 2018, the number of breast cancer cases has gone up by 15.7 %.

Among women, breast cancer continues to be the most prevalent. The survival rate for breast cancer continues to be at 66.7 %. The health ministry report adds that the rate of breast cancer is as high as 25.8 per one lakh women and mortality rate is 12.7 per 100,000 women.

A few of the warning signs of breast cancer are –

  • A lump in the breast or underarm, that continues after a menstrual cycle – this is at times the first noticeable indication of breast cancer. Lumps associated with breast cancer are usually painless, although some may well cause an itchy feeling.
  • Though lumps are generally painless, tenderness can be a sign of cancer too.
  • A marked flattening, or depression, or dimple on the breast, may indicate a tumor, that cannot be seen without a mammogram.
  • Unusual discharge from the nipple that may be clear or bloody or colored.
  • Redness in and around the nipple.
  • Swelling near the collarbone and in the armpit.

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Finding breast cancer early is the key to successful treatment

While the nature of treatment depends upon the stage of cancer, one of the suggested treatments is Mastectomy, which is the removal of the entire breast. It is often done when the cancer cannot be treated with a process called lumpectomy. Often, it is also done when a patient chooses it for personal reasons. Women who are at a very high risk of getting cancer, or a relapse, have a double mastectomy or the removal of both breasts.

The surgery is generally followed by a breast reconstruction surgery. But not all women want to undergo the process. It must be remembered that undergoing breast reconstruction or not undergoing it, is a personal and a voluntary choice and must be respected. For some women, breast reconstruction adds nothing. They choose to “go flat” and embrace their scars.

From an early age, women are told to hide scars. These scars might be physical or emotional. Tahira Kashyap, an accomplished writer and the wife of Bollywood actor Ayushman Khurana, on World Cancer Day, just demolished that idea. She shared a photograph, that Ayushman reposted with a poignant note in honor of her strength.

“Paa le tu aisi Fateh. Samandar teri pyaas se darey.” (The oceans shall be scared of your victory)

Tahira Kashyap, wrote that these scars are her badges of honour. “I truly embrace all my scars as they are my badges of honour. There is nothing known as perfect. Happiness lies in truly accepting yourself. This was a tough one for me. But this picture was my decision as I want to celebrate not the disease but the spirit with which I endured. To quote my mentor, Diasaku Ikeda, “Leading an undefeated life is eternal victory. Not being defeated, never giving up, is actually a greater victory than winning, not being defeated means having the courage to rise to the challenge. However many times we’re knocked down, the important thing is we keep getting up and taking one step-even a half step- forward”.

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Today is my day! Wish you all a happy #worldcancerday and hope each one of us celebrates this day in an embracing way. That we remove any stigma or taboo associated with it. That we spread awareness about it and that we have self love no matter what. I truly embrace all my scars as they are my badges of honour. There is nothing known as perfect. Happiness lies in truly accepting yourself. This was a tough one for me. But this picture was my decision as I want to celebrate not the disease but the spirit with which I endured. To quote my mentor, Diasaku Ikeda, “Leading an undefeated life is eternal victory. Not being defeated, never giving up, is actually a greater victory than winning, not being defeated means having the courage to rise to the challenge. However many times we’re knocked down, the important thing is we keep getting up and taking one step-even a half step- forward” #worldcancerday #breastcancerawareness #breastcancerwarrior #turningkarmaintomission #boddhisatva Thanks @atulkasbekar for this one❤

A post shared by tahirakashyapkhurrana (@tahirakashyap) on

A permanent scar is a reminder of the traumatic incident that caused it and can be the basis of anguish, poor self respect and problems in social situations, thus weakening the quality of life a woman leads. Tahira’s photograph then is not only beautiful, but also sends a powerful message, as any physical scar should not have an effect on the emotional and psychological well being, and a woman should not be self-conscious about it, but instead embrace it with confidence.

Last year, Tahira was diagnosed with stage zero breast cancer. She recently underwent a preventive mastectomy. In the photo she shared, a visible surgery mark spilling over her back can be seen.

On social media, Tahira was hailed for her encouraging thoughts on battling cancer. She did admit that the journey has been a “tough” one and the photograph clicked by Atul Kasbekar is an expression of it. The caption read, “There is nothing known as perfect. Happiness lies in truly accepting yourself. This was a tough one for me. But this picture was my decision as I want to celebrate not the disease, but the spirit with which I endured.”

She had earlier, written about her experiments with hair extensions, “Wearing hair extensions kinda day! Little vanity doesn’t hurt,” but she later found freedom in being bald which she said was “liberating”. 

But even before her scars, she learned to embrace herself. She wrote on her Instagram, “bald is beautiful.” Sonali Bendre, who was diagnosed with high-grade cancer in July last year had also taken the decision to go bald.

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This is me. And in this moment, I am really happy. People give me strange looks when I say that now, but it's true and I'll tell you why. I am now paying attention to every moment, looking for every opportunity to find joy and #SwitchOnTheSunshine. Yes, there are moments of pain and low energy, but I am doing what I like, spending time with people I love, and feeling very loved and happy. I am extremely grateful to my friends, my pillars of strength, who at a moment's notice, arrived to be with me and help me through this. In between their busy schedules they find time to visit, call, message, FaceTime… basically never leaving a moment for me to feel alone. Thank you for showing me what true friendship is. #HappyFriendshipDay, ladies. Blessed to have you all in my life (including the ones not in the picture… You know who you are) @gayatrioberoi @suzkr P.S. Nowadays I spend far less time getting ready because I don't have to fuss over my hair! 😜#BaldIsBeautiful #FindThePositive #OneDayAtATime Picture credit: @hrithikroshan

A post shared by Sonali Bendre (@iamsonalibendre) on

Sonali wrote, “This is me. And in this moment, I am really happy. People give me strange looks when I say that now, but it’s true and I’ll tell you why. I am now paying attention to every moment, looking for every opportunity to find joy and #SwitchOnTheSunshine” Both Tahira and Sonali wrote about embracing their bald selves and how it made tasks like showering and getting dressed much easier.

Women like Tahira Kashyap and Sonali Bendre will motivate more and more women to take back their control over their bodies and embrace their imperfections, because scars do not take anything away from them.

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World Cancer Day… who would have thought it would become such a thing… but it has! And just the mere mention of the C word brings dread in the hearts of anyone who hears it. We fear it so much that we’d rather not talk about it… which is why it’s important to have a day where we pull out the band aid and help us deal with this disease. I was scared too, but soon realised that burying my head in the sand was not the way to deal with this. And so… with the little experience I have had, I urge you all to take the time to understand it. There's more to cancer than being emotional or weak or even being called a fighter or a survivor. It requires you to study it, find out what works for you and to be diligent about your treatment. It requires days of strongly believing in oneself, of knowing that tomorrow will be better than today. It is not a fight against negative thoughts. It's taking a stand to not give in, no matter what. Most importantly, it is about living every day, and not just surviving. Just taking it #OneDayAtATime makes it easier to #SwitchOnTheSunshine. #WorldCancerDay

A post shared by Sonali Bendre (@iamsonalibendre) on

Women are more than their bodies. We need more conversations around scars and imperfections. It is time women stop hiding them and share their stories as Tahira did. It is time that women break the societal chains surrounding their bodies.

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“I knew that if I allowed fear to overtake me, my journey was doomed. Fear, to a great extent, is born of a story we tell ourselves, and so I chose to tell myself a different story from the one women are told. I decided I was safe. I was strong. I was brave. Nothing could vanquish me.” – Cheryl Strayed, Wild. Over the past couple of months, I have had good days and bad ones. There have been days when I’ve been so exhausted and in so much pain that even lifting a finger hurt. I feel like sometimes it’s a cycle… one that starts off with physical pain and leads to mental and emotional pain. The bad days have been many… Post chemo, post-surgery and the like… where even just laughing hurts. Sometimes it felt like it took everything I’ve had to push past it… a minute to minute battle with myself. I got through it knowing that even though I was fighting a long drawn out, draining battle… it was one that was worth the fight. It’s important to remember that we’re allowed to have those bad days. Forcing yourself to be happy and cheerful all the time serves no purpose. Who are we being fake and putting on an act for? I allowed myself to cry, to feel the pain, to indulge in self-pity… for a short while. Only you know what you’re going through and it is fine to accept it. Emotions aren’t wrong. Feeling negative emotions isn’t wrong. But after a point, identify it, recognize it and refuse to let it control your life. It takes an immense amount of self-care to get out of that zone. Sleep always helps, or having my favourite smoothie after chemo, or just talking to my son. For now, as my treatment continues… my visual focus remains to just get better and get back home. It’s yet another test… Student all my life… Learning all my life… #OneDayAtATime 📷: @srishtibehlarya

A post shared by Sonali Bendre (@iamsonalibendre) on

The post Tahira Kashyap Embraces Her Scars Like Badges Of Honour appeared first and originally on Youth Ki Awaaz and is a copyright of the same. Please do not republish.


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