New Delhi, November 3– An avid artist and a traveller, Anjali Sapra was diagnosed by breast cancer in 2014. After being successfully treated by Dr. Sarin at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, she was in for a shock again when she found a lump in the her left breast and got diagnosed again for cancer, only be cured again.
Braving cancer twice, she set a brave example for many women like her on how fight cancer ‘head-on’.
“For me, getting diagnosed with breast cancer came as a complete shock. I came to know about my condition in 2014 and it was like a nightmare for me. At tha point of time, I thought this is the end of me. But it was my husband who really supported me and the first thing he said was ‘ don’t worry, we’ll tackle it head on’. That’s exactly what we did and went through the entire treatment which was very difficult at that point of time,” shares Anjali.
Within two years she was again diagnosed with breast cancer.
“The next year went fine. But a routine examination in 2016 and showed another kind of tumour in the other breast. Somehow I had this rock solid faith in Dr. Sarin, my doctor and the second time around I was completely sure that it was going to get out of my system forever. After my surgery, Dr. Sarin decided that I did need chemotherapy and radiation therapy and I went through it and I was strong throughout the treatment and not for an instant did I doubt that I was going to be fine.”
“I’ve been fine ever since the second treatment. I’ve been going out and enjoying doing things that I love to do,” she gladly says.
Anjali talks about how careless she was regarding her health before how battling cancer made her aware of her own health.
“Pre-diagnosis I was a kind of a person who was there for everyone all the time. So I never really priotise myself. Post-treatment I realised that I’m the most important person or my life. if I’m not alive then what is the sense of anything else. So I focused on my family and my passion.
Anjali’s diagnosis was also a journey of spiritually discovering herself.
“This is diagnosis helped to explore things which I had never done before. For instance, I took it a challenge to take in a women’s car rally in 2018 because I thought that would be completely about widening my horizons, to do something new, to be on the road with strangers and to enjoy the process. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I participated again earlier this year. So that was something that was totally out of the box for me.”
“Besides, I find art very therapeutic for me because it takes me into another space. I also enjoy cooking, gardening so I pursue them with passion. I also enjoy travelling so whenever I get any opportunity, I’m off Delhi. This is how I have made sure to make the maximum of my life,” she adds.
For Anjali, Dr. Ramesh Sarin came as a blessing without whom her of fighting cancer would have not been smooth.
“Any of Dr. Sarin’s patients will tell you that she is like a goddess for all of us. There is something divine about her and she has pulled us through the toughest of times. She goes beyond being a doctor. She visits you when it’s not necessary to do so. She hugs you, gives you confidence and just be there for you at any point of time.”
Anjali further praises further praises Apollo’s nursing staff for the care and support she received from them.
“I had a very good experience with the nursing staff at Apollo. I just think that they are the best. I have been treatment for two years. From personal experience, I really feel that they have the compassion and humanism. For them, you’re not the just the patient, but a person who is suffering and they are there to help you through it.”
Anjali asks other women to prioritise themselves and put their health above everything else.
“I would say prioritise yourself. As a woman you play many roles. At the end of it, somewhere you lose yourself, so never lose yourself because it’s your health and only if you are healthy, will you be able to take care of others.”