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Breast cancer survivor Neeti Leekha Chhabra talks of life after breast cancer and how we value life infinitely after meeting the demon face to face.
Breast cancer survivor Neeti Leekha Chhabra talks of life after cancer and how we value life infinitely after meeting the demon face to face. I thought to myself, should I be writing about happiness again in my fourth post. Then I decided otherwise; rather, I decided on a topic quite the opposite. I wasn’t feeling too pepped up to write up about happiness.
I got the news of my uncle’s death two days ago. Though the call had come at 8 a.m. which is not too early, I had a feeling that the call would render some bad news. He had survived a heart attack a month back and was recovering well from the surgery which happened a week before. I felt remorse as I had not met him after the surgery. And then I started to think of elderly people in my family and how I should be spending more quality time with them. A lot of us would have gone through this thought process. But, isn’t it ironic that I am planning to spend more time with my loved ones thinking that they might not have much time?
Every time we hear of somebody dying whom we knew, our lives fall into perspective. Suddenly, we stop comparing our lives with others, we control our urge to expect the world out of our loved ones, try to take lesser tensions and to be happier. We don’t really need a fear of death in order to understand the priorities in life. Every time we hear of somebody dying whom we knew, our lives fall into perspective. Suddenly, we stop comparing our lives with others, we control our urge to expect the world out of our loved ones, try to take lesser tensions and to be happier. My case though is a little different. I am a breast cancer winner and so mostly my thought process is now on the right track as I would want it to be. Having been through the fear of dying at a young age, I have learnt to live while being alive. Also, I am not scared anymore of death as nobody knows how many years one has. Not even people who have not been through cancer. So, it is more important to be thankful for each day that we get to open our eyes and live each day fully. Lead your life in such a way that on the deathbed you have no remorse that you should have lived your life differently. Its important to understand the important role death plays in living our lives. I believe that we have two lives and the second one starts as soon as we realize that we have only one. Pursue a hobby, develop one if you don’t have one; spend time with your loved ones; stop judging; laugh your heart out; dress up the way you want to and do everything sane that your heart desires. And oh my God, I am again on board the ‘happy wagon’! I believe that we have two lives and the second one starts as soon as we realize that we have only one. Fear of dying should not deter us from living today. Be an observer and enjoy this drama that you are creating! We are mortal and will die one day eventually but what may be permanent is how we would be remembered after leaving our physical body. Read the author’s previous articles on her breast cancer survival here and here.Never miss real stories from India's women.Register Now Image via Shutterstock.
Every time we hear of somebody dying whom we knew, our lives fall into perspective. Suddenly, we stop comparing our lives with others, we control our urge to expect the world out of our loved ones, try to take lesser tensions and to be happier.
We don’t really need a fear of death in order to understand the priorities in life. Every time we hear of somebody dying whom we knew, our lives fall into perspective. Suddenly, we stop comparing our lives with others, we control our urge to expect the world out of our loved ones, try to take lesser tensions and to be happier. My case though is a little different. I am a breast cancer winner and so mostly my thought process is now on the right track as I would want it to be. Having been through the fear of dying at a young age, I have learnt to live while being alive. Also, I am not scared anymore of death as nobody knows how many years one has. Not even people who have not been through cancer. So, it is more important to be thankful for each day that we get to open our eyes and live each day fully. Lead your life in such a way that on the deathbed you have no remorse that you should have lived your life differently. Its important to understand the important role death plays in living our lives.
I believe that we have two lives and the second one starts as soon as we realize that we have only one. Pursue a hobby, develop one if you don’t have one; spend time with your loved ones; stop judging; laugh your heart out; dress up the way you want to and do everything sane that your heart desires. And oh my God, I am again on board the ‘happy wagon’!
I believe that we have two lives and the second one starts as soon as we realize that we have only one.
Fear of dying should not deter us from living today. Be an observer and enjoy this drama that you are creating! We are mortal and will die one day eventually but what may be permanent is how we would be remembered after leaving our physical body.
Read the author’s previous articles on her breast cancer survival here and here.
Image via Shutterstock.
I am a management faculty by profession and left my full time job in June 2012 when I got diagnosed with breast cancer. I am perfectly healthy and fit now and run my own NGO ` read more...
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Neena was the sole caregiver of Amma and though one would think that Amma was dependent on her, Neena felt otherwise.
Neena inhaled the aroma that emanated from the pan and took a deep breath. The aroma of cumin interspersed with butter transported her back to the modest kitchen in her native village. She could picture her father standing in the kitchen wearing his white crisp kurta as he made delectable concoctions for his only daughter.
Neena grew up in a home where both her parents worked together in tandem to keep the house up and running. She had a blissful childhood in her modest two-room house. The house was small but every nook and cranny gave her memories of a lifetime. Neena’s young heart imagined that her life would follow the same cheerful course. But how wrong she was!
When she was sixteen, the catastrophic clutches of destiny snatched away her parents. They passed away in a road accident and Neena was devastated. Relatives thronged her now gloomy house and soon it was decided that she should be married off.
Being a writer, Nivedita Louis recognises the struggles of a first-time woman writer and helps many articulate their voice with development, content edits as a publisher.
“I usually write during night”, says author Nivedita Louis during our conversation. Chuckling she continues,” It’s easier then to focus solely on writing. Nivedita Louis is a writer, with varied interests and one of the founders of Her Stories, a feminist publishing house, based in Chennai.
In a candid conversation she shared her journey from small-town Tamil Nadu to becoming a history buff, an award-winning author and now a publisher.
Nivedita was born and raised in a small town in Tamil Nadu. It was for schooling that she first arrived in Chennai. Then known as Madras, she recalls being awed by the city. Her love-story with the city, its people and thus began which continues till date. She credits her perseverance and passion to make a difference to her days as a vocational student among the elite sections of Madras.
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