The Week India – July 21, 2019

18 THE WEEK • JULY 21, 2019

PLUS

Before. And After.

She says, “I divide my life into BC and AD –

Before Cancer and After Diagnosis. For

better or worse, I was never the same

person again.” Prior to her diagnosis, Farida

confesses she had little patience for those

who said they were depressed or were

going through an illness. “I did wonder if

cancer would make me even more

insensitive. But I changed. I started

listening to others, understanding their

pain, and what they were going through. I

started wanting to be there for people.”

According to her, going for counselling after

being diagnosed with cancer was “a

blessing”. “That made me realize the

importance of listening to other people and

helping them by offering my insights. I

earned a diploma in counselling. I also

completed graduation and postgraduation

courses in counselling and psychotherapy.

Today, I work as an online counsellor.” She

counsels people across the globe, and her

job keeps her busy all day and well into

the night.

Strength from Within.

Her son Rayyan and daughter Farheena

have been her pillars of strength through

her ordeal.

“I feel blessed. They are good children and

have taught me things that were not in me. I

can never be grateful enough to Rayyan. He

encouraged me at every step and even

supported me through my graduation and

postgraduation. I now spend my evenings

listening to how they spent their day. So my

days are packed with counselling, blogging,

and spending time with my children. This

makes me happy.”

Living for Others.

Farida, who is a part of the Pink Hope

Cancer Patient Survivor Group, has been

raising awareness about breast cancer

among communities in the city, online, and

even in Byndoor, her hometown in coastal

Karnataka.

She recalls the time the doctor first told her

she had cancer. “I remember thinking, ‘I have

cancer. I will not let the cancer have me.’ I am

not a good loser, and it was a challenge. I

never focused on the fact that I could die. I set

myself goals to finish my education and

become financially independent. So my

advice is to focus on life and not what is

going wrong. Even thoughts like ‘I will

overcome cancer’ still puts the focus on

cancer, I focus on other things.”