A brave and true story of Mrs. Anjali Gadoya, who survived Cancer and rebuilt a beautiful and inspirational life for herself.
In this article, we bring the power-packed and beautiful story of Mrs. Anjali Gadoya, how she overcame her diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer.
Mrs. Anjali Gadoya is a multi-talented person. She is a teacher by profession, Model, Actor, Belly Dancer, Motivational Speaker, and Philanthropist.
She is a daredevil. When she was first diagnosed with Cancer, she was shocked as she was barely aware of Cancer; she only knew Cancer meant death. But from being ignorant to surviving the disease with never-ending courage, she has put up a great inspirational show.
As we interact with her, she states her magic words during her journey: “Death is inevitable, so why not enjoy it to the fullest before dying.”
Diagnosis and treatment
When Anjali was diagnosed with Breast Cancer- III Stage, she was a simple teacher busy with the daily grind. As a natural reaction, the diagnosis initially shocked her and her family.
However, she states that with the support and love of her family and friends, she soon decided to take the treatment and be happy throughout the treatment.
Breast cancer is a cancer type in which the cells in the breast grow and multiply in an uncontrolled manner, creating a mass of tissue called a tumor.
Breast cancer is generally treated with surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, depending on a case-to-case basis.
Breast cancer surgery involves the removal of the affected area. There are mainly two types of this surgery: Mastectomy, meaning the removal of the entire breast, and Lumpectomy (partial mastectomy), when only the tumor and a small margin of healthy tissue are removed.
Anjali had undergone a Mastectomy as her Cancer had progressed. However, she was grateful for living and having a second chance. So, she decided to live the life to the fullest and did not undertake breast reconstruction as an option.
Coping up Post Surgery and treatment:
Mrs. Anjali Gadoya, through her strong will and determination she has proved that survival largely depends on how strong and difficult one is. Here are five important lessons from her post-cancer treatment surgery:
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Accepting the Physical Changes: A patient undergoes many physical changes during the treatment, like low energy, poor immunity, loss of appetite, and loss of hair. These changes may not be pleasant, but Anjali decided to embrace all with a big smile. She was determined to accept the new not-so-beautiful appearance with positivity and a smile. She tells us she attended every chemo with a new and stronger zeal; she dressed up and kept her spirits high.
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Grooming Well Despite the Odds: Anjali tells us that despite losing her hair and eyebrows. She was initially shocked. However, later she chose ways to overcome the physical change and kept going with the same zeal and happiness. She covered her hair with stylish bandanas and smiled while meeting her doctor. She tells us this helped her recover soon from her chemos, and she waited for the next as an opportunity to dress up well and meet people again.
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Pursuing Dreams: After the shocking news of Cancer, Anjali could have wept for months, but she decided to value the second chance that she had got. She began to pursue her passions and made time for herself, which she never had. At the age of 55 years, she learned swimming, pole dance, folk dance, belly dance and pursued her dreams of acting and competing in beauty pageants too.
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Make it Challenging: Post-treatment, Anjali did not give herself a cooling period; rather, she was on fire. She tells us, “I fought like a queen and won like a boss.” She not only pursued her dreams but achieved success in whatever she learnt. She has never looked back and only progressed in her endeavours. She won the prestigious title of “Mrs. India Iron Lady” and gained popularity in the world of modelling. She has raised the bar for herself by setting new challenges and achieving them. She is currently learning another dance form called flamingo and aspires to perform internationally.
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Inspiring others: As a patient who has undergone multiple chemotherapy, she tells us that hygiene during the treatment is vital for recovery. Apart from hygiene, she also stresses that there should be awareness about various treatments that can be taken post-surgery that help patients recover faster and better. To raise awareness about these things she has joined such groups and helping patients recover.
Lastly, Anjali tells us that one should stay determined to recover soon and look at life positively. Also, one must adopt a healthy lifestyle during and after the treatment, following all doctor instructions and taking up time-to-time checkups as suggested.
Battling Cancer becomes easy when a cancer patient has someone to talk and to share. We invite cancer patients, survivors, and their relatives to join our vibrant Onco Cancer Care Community on Facebook. Let us join and make this journey great for each other.
