The brave celebrities who fought cancer and won

Question

No one is prepared to hear those deadly words “You have cancer”. With more and more people surviving cancer, though it is not a death sentence anymore, the fear of cancer is still prevalent among the masses. Among the survivors of cancer are some celebrities who have helped in creating awareness in people about the prevalence of cancer and also spread hope about overcoming it. 

1. Yuvaraj Singh

Yuvaraj Singh, the man who hit six sixes in a row, left his fans shattered when he announced he was suffering from cancer.He was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in his left lung in 2012 and got treated for it in the US. He is cancer free now and has also shared his experience of dealing with cancer in the book "The Test of My Life".

2. Manisha Koirala

Last year, Manisha Koirala of ‘Dil Se’ fame, fell unconscious and was admitted in a city hospital. After some tests, it was found that the 42-year-old actress was suffering from ovarian cancer. Her treatment took place in New York and she put up a good fight against the disease. She recently posted pictures of herself after her chemo sessions and is raring to come back and start shooting for films. Her doctors too have allowed her to do so as part of her healing process. Her strength and will power have inspired many.

3. Lisa Ray

he stunningly beautiful actress who shook the nation with the high-cut swimsuit in a commercial was diagnosed with multiple Myeloma in 2009. Lisa fought her battle with cancer away from the peering eyes of media. After winning her battle, Lisa came out with her story and shared her experience with people. In 2010, Lisa bravely announced to the world that she was free of cancer after the successful treatment involving stem cell transplant. 

4. Namrata Singh Gujral

Namrata Singh Gujral is an Indian American actress who is Sikh by faith. In 2008, the 32 year old young woman heard the dreaded words that she had breast cancer. Luckily the cancer was detected in the early stages which gave her an advantage in the fight with the dreaded disease. Namrata is the president of the UniGlobe Entertainment which is renowned for its docu-drama ‘1 a Minute’.  She has taken the initiative to make use of her production company’s platform to spread awareness and join hands to fight against breast cancer. 

5. Anurag Basu

Anurag Basu, the famed director of Barfi was suffering from acute promyelocytic leukemia – a type of blood cancer – in 2004. But rather than getting pessimistic about it, he did not let it affect his life and behaved as if he suffered from a common cold and not cancer even though doctors predicted that his chances of survival were only 50 per cent.He put up a brave face throughout his ordeal and came out of it as if nothing ever happened.

6. Mumtaz

The beloved bollywood beauty of yesteryears, Mumtaz has bravely fought and survived breast cancer of which she was diagnosed at the age of 54. She did not surrender herself to the strenuous sessions of surgery, chemo and radiation but picked herself and fought against the weight gain, fatigue and other side-effects bravely. 11 years down the lane, Mumtaz can still make heads turn around with her charm and beauty which she regained by following strict exercise including swimming, visits to gym, healthy diet and positive attitude. 

7. Devika Bhojwani

Devika Bhojwani is the vice president of Women’s Cancer Initiative. She survived breast cancer herself before starting this initiative. While dealing with it, she kept her thoughts positive and healed herself using reiki and chants. She came to know about her cancer at an early stage when she saw a sign for mammography in a hospital and decided to take it. Her initiative is in Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai and it helps raise awareness and funds for breast cancer. 

8. Barbara Mori

Barbara Mori made her Bollywood debut with Hrithik Roshan in Kites.The film didn’t go down so well with the audience but Barbara was often in the news. But many still don’t know that she is a cancer survivor. She was diagnosed with cancer in its early stage. Barbara later appeared in a documentary 1 a Minute where she talked about her survival against cancer.