CANCER CONQUEROR
More like a son: Shalini and her husband with their son-in-law, Zain
“For any cancer patient, support is essential” On social media, there are pieces of wisdom that float around—which are meant to inspire you or reinforce what you already know. The one that always strikes a chord is about having the right attitude, about how the way you respond, and not react, to a challenge can make all the difference. Embodying this nothing-can-get-me-down attitude is the Delhi-based Shalini Nayar, who works for a leading designer label. Diagnosed with breast cancer at 50, and currently still undergoing radiation therapy, it is her feisty mindset about fighting the crab that makes for an inspiring story. Minal Khona meets this doughty cancer survivor
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y all accounts, Shalini Nayar’s life had been smooth sailing till last year. A loving husband and brothers, and a happily married daughter; a challenging job with a leading designer label and good health. She had no complaints with all that life had given her thus far. Then, last summer, during the lockdown, the presence of a lump changed her life as she knew it, forever. Shalini recalls, “In May 2020, during the first phase of the COVID-19 lockdown, I was chatting with my daughter Symrin on WhatsApp. My arm was resting against my right breast and I felt something. It changed everything. Within 12 hours from that fateful moment, I was undergoing a battery of tests
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