Reader\'s Digest IN 02.2020

As told to Ishani Nandi

On World Cancer Day (4 February), messages

of courage, hope and inspiration from those

who have defeated this dreaded disease

36 february 2020

HOW TO FIGHT THE

GOOD FIGHT

Make every

moment count

Cancer requires an all-

out response as it chal-

lenges every aspect of

your being. You must

marshal resources

both within and with-

out, as well as those that are yet to be

discovered. I realized during the course

of my journey that my strengths were

my positive nature, my ability to laugh

at myself as well as my personal faith.

Growing up in a family that faced set-

backs with equanimity was an added

asset. I was determined to be happy

and not let cancer get me down. My

great discovery was that cancer had

liberated me. Every minute now was

precious and it was up to me to make

it count. My advice to those living with

cancer would be: Don’t let cancer ter-

rorize you. Look at it as the sneaky and

cowardly disease it is. You are so much

bigger. Your possibilities are limitless.

Go out there and live life your way.

—Harmala Gupta, founder–president of

CanSupport, Hodgkin’s-lymphoma survivor

Love yourself

We as women must learn to look after

ourselves. Some cancers, such as breast

and cervical cancer, can be detected

early and cured if we are mindful of our

bodies and look for telltale signs. But

women are not trained to take care of

BETTER LIVING

Reader’s Digest

Illustration byKeshav Kapil

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