Bollywood actress and cancer survivor Lisa Ray, got into a conversation with Humans Of Bombay, and talked about her battle with cancer, and how the disease changed her life completely. The actress had the cancer of plasma of her bone marrow. Talking to Humans of Bombay, the actress led onto the deets of the disease and how she revived and recovered from the disease, and still is, after 9 years.
Talking to Humans Of Bombay, Lisa Ray wrote, “‘How are you still standing? Your red blood cell count is so low that you can go into cardiac arrest any moment!’ That’s what my doctor said when she 1st saw my blood test report. I’d been experiencing fatigue for months. And a few tests later, another doctor said, ‘You’ve cancer of the plasma of the bone marrow.’ At that moment, for the 1st time in years, I stopped and took a breath. I’d always been on the go. But while a part of me lived on the red carpet, the other craved spiritual peace – extreme ends! Like, I wanted to write a book. It helped me connect with myself. But with work, I never got to do it.”
Lisa added, “But Cancer changed things,” she further mentioned that how she felt she was close to death during her stem cell surgery. She added, “My stem cell surgery felt like being close to death and being reborn. But it helped me appreciate the life I had. I remember writing a blog about what it’s like living with cancer. Since the stigma had been so bad in South Asian cultures, coming out felt cathartic. People appreciated my honesty too. Somehow, we all found courage in acceptance.”
Lisa continued saying,”After my treatment, I once tried wearing a wig for a public event but I found it to be ridiculous. I told myself, ‘Remove it’ and went all bald. It was all over the headlines but more than that, it was the most liberating thing I’d ever done. But the media wasn’t always nice. After chemo, I was a part of a travel show with my hair short. I called it a ‘chemo cut.’ But the channel replaced me. They wanted a girl with ‘long’ hair. It was heartbreaking,” read an excerpt from her post.”
Post her recovery she took to her social media handle, and shared, “But soon, I did go into remission only to relapse 3 years later. Things were different by then. I was getting married. I was shattered but I took it 1 day at a time. My body told me what to do and I listened. I went for a 3 week transformation program. I meditated, drank juices, ate sprouts, and introspected. I healed internally. And within months I beat cancer again and without the stem cell surgery! It’s been 9 years since then a lot has happened. I did more movies, wrote a book, raised cancer awareness, had kids, and did the unthinkable- found the courage to start an art platform.” She concluded, “It’s ironic how a disease that usually brings the end to us changed my life completely and made me feel more alive than anything else ever did.” As quoted by NDTV.
