Image: tahirakashyap/Instagram
A cancer survivor’s life can be lonely and scary. They deal with the struggles of the deadly disease and have to face the aftermath of it. While friends, family members, and others sympathize with them, the effects on their mental health are often not considered. In a country like ours, where there is a huge stigma around the topic of mental health, fighting breast cancer, and surviving it takes an awful lot of strength and courage. Tahira Kashyap Khurrana, the new filmmaker on the block and the talented young actor Ayushmann Khurrana’s wife, is one such woman who not only came out stronger on the other side of breast cancer but is not afraid to share her story.
Image: tahirakashyap/Instagram
Women with breast cancer struggle with self-esteem issues, and it can be a scary journey. Therefore, apart from following the protocols of do’s and don’ts of fighting cancer, it is crucial that they love themselves irrespective of how they look and feel. With cancer, body image issues are heightened. People lose hair, a determining factor of one’s self-image, and it’s a tough rollercoaster ride. Tahira Kashyap Khurrana not only survived the deadly disease but also thrived through it. From being a talented writer, she has transformed into a filmmaker, and we couldn’t be prouder.
Image: tahirakashyap/Instagram
Actor Ayushmann Khurrana’s wife, Tahira Kashyap, was diagnosed with zero stage breast cancer when his career was at its peak success period. While his super hit releases such as Andhadhun and Badhaai Ho became box office hits, his wife survived breast cancer and emerged as a star herself. Tahira did not shy away from posting pictures of her bald head and showing her scars. In today’s day and age, when social media is used for painting a beautiful view of one’s life, Tahira did not hesitate to keep it real. Her bravery and strength gave other women with breast cancer the hope and confidence that they too could kick the deadly disease.
Image: tahirakashyap/Instagram
In an interview during an event that was conducted to celebrate cancer survivors, Tahira shared how she started talking about it openly. She said that it was not her first thought and thought she would survive it with her family, just like every other cancer patient. But on spending more time in the hospital and meeting other patients, hearing their stories, and sharing some of their struggles, she decided to break the stigma attached to talking about it.
Image: tahirakashyap/Instagram
She also revealed that Ayushmann was very supportive of her choice and that she is grateful for it. Tahira said that not talking about it adds to cancer patients’ struggles and suffering and encouraged everyone to be open about their experience.
Image: tahirakashyap/Instagram
Several women stop feeling beautiful once they lose their hair to cancer. But Tahira had a beautiful and empowering take to it when asked about what beauty truly means to her. She said that beauty emanates from one’s life, and if you’re truly happy, you radiate that happiness around you, irrespective of where you are in life. The author turned filmmaker shared how it affected her son to see her being bald. She said that he had told her not to meet his friends or wear a cap when she had to. Instead of being broken by it, she summoned the strength and met his friends with a hat on. Tahira spoke to them the same way she used to before, and in a few minutes, everything went back to normal. She said that after a few days, her son told her that she looks “very nice” and she was glad that she had redefined the meaning of beauty for her son.
Image: tahirakashyap/Instagram
It’s not easy to live through this journey, but we applaud Tahira for staying strong and empowering other women to do the same. During Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we encourage all of you to render your support, strength, and courage and share your story!
