Written by Dilpreet Dua
Life is beautiful and it is precious. I have learnt now to live in the ‘now’ , to become more mindful and to live wholeheartedly.
Imagine waking up one morning, you’re 30 years old. You have 2 gorgeous babies and you are living a fabulous life.
I breast fed both my babies, I delivered them naturally, without an epidural and in general have been a fairly active and sporty person my whole life.
A lot of us are often unaware of what is happening inside our bodies.I remember I felt a lump in my left breast on morning and figured since I’m breastfeeding, it’s probably a collection of milk. I even went to my doctor and she felt the same thing. It was a highly unlikely scenario for anyone to be thinking otherwise.
Like most women, I also chose to ignore the signs out of fear thinking but what if it is the ‘C’ word. Except as weeks went by and the lump did not dissolve away, a bulb finally went off in the head that what if it was cancer and I just wasted away time.
There is nothing anyone can say to you that makes you feel calmer. It’s in-built in our society to fear the word Cancer and definitely when it’s already consumed your mother, aunt and various other family members. So naturally I panicked, I had tested positive for BRCA-1 just a few months back and this lump had altered my life plan by 5 years to the very least.
But no one ever tells you that you actually might not be eating healthy, not relaxing enough and not letting your body recover from all the wear and tear it goes through on a daily basis.
Of course, I had breast cancer – stage 3.
But my husband – the practical man that he is told me I have nothing to fear. I did have nothing to fear, I had him with me and I had the most incredible family support ever. He had read up enough data on the matter even before I could open my eyes to the fact that I wasn’t dying.
I couldn’t be dying, I had to watch over my babies, I had to drive my husband nuts with my idiosyncrasies, I had to make sure that the people around me don’t make the same mistakes I did.
So I went and got both my breasts removed, I took my chemotherapy, I took my radiation and along with all the scientific things in my life I also let nature take its course.
I learnt to relax, I learnt to eat healthy, I learnt yoga and I learnt that no matter what- you don’t need to hold on to every little thing and it’s ok to let go.
It’s been year since my surgery and I am actually healthier, fitter and stronger than I have ever been.
Of course I need to be cautious, I need to follow through with my check ups regularly but most importantly I need to be calmer, happier and more grateful for the life I am living, For the health of my babies, a fabulous, kind and generous husband and for a family who would walk through a thousand tornadoes to be by my side.
There are many lessons that are thrown your way through life, it’s only a matter of opening your eyes and actually realising the meaning of every challenge that comes your way. There is something new to learn everyday and there is something to be grateful for no matter what happens in life.
About the Author:
Dilpreet Dua is a personal shopper and mother to 2 notorious babies.
