“I called #MahimaChaudhry a month back from US to play a very important role in my 525th film #TheSignature. Our conversation turned to her discovering that she has #BreastCancer,” he has captioned a video of Mahima that he has uploaded to the social media website.
In the video Anupam asks “What are you thinking,” to which the ever cheerful Mahima replies, “trying to concentrate on the camera and see that it gets my focus.”
“What followed is in this candid conversation between us. Her attitude will give hope to so many women all over the world,” Anupam has written.
In the video Mahima breaks down while narrating her ordeal with cancer, while we can hear Anupam Kher choking up with emotions.
“I did not have any symptoms”
I did yearly tests for myself, says Mahima to Anupam and adds that she did Sonography, blood tests every year.
It was during her sonography test she was recommended to contact an oncologist.
Pre cancer cells
When she went to the oncologist she was told that the cells looked precancerous, which means there is a 50-50 chance of these cells getting malignant.
Following this, she went for a biopsy and her report came out negative for cancer.
“But I still wanted to take it out”
Though the report was negative for cancer, she asked the doctor to take it out, she told Anupam in the video.
“After they took it out, they found tiny bits of cancer cells in it,” she said.
Then the doctor suggested she take chemotherapy.
Mahima reveals she broke down when she heard of chemotherapy though her sister consoled her saying its 100% treatable.
“I learnt from women”
She said she learned from all other women whom she met at the hospital suffering from the same cancer as hers. She told Anupam that seeing those women carrying out their daily lives with so much ease motivated her.
‘I have totally recovered’
Towards the end of the video we can see an emotional Anupam Kher hugging Mahima where she happily calls him a good human and a good friend. “She calls me an eternal optimist but dearest Mahima! “You are my HERO!” Friends! Send her your love, warmth, wishes, prayers and blessings. She is BACK on sets where she belongs,” writes Anupam.
Breast cancer
Breast cancer is a form of cancer that starts in the breast as a lump initially. Its occurrence is seen mostly in women. “Breast cancer is not a transmissible or infectious disease. Unlike some cancers that have infection-related causes, such as human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and cervical cancer, there are no known viral or bacterial infections linked to the development of breast cancer,” says WHO.
There are several factors behind breast cancer like age, family history of breast cancer, radiation exposure, and post-menopausal hormone therapy.
The common symptoms are a visible lump, change in appearance of the breast, change in appearance of nipple area and sometimes unusual discharge from nipples.
