It is okay to not be okay

“It is okay, not to be okay.” This means accepting that life is a roller coaster ride, with the

controls not always in our hands. However, what remains in our power is whether to survive

the entire ride in fear, or to live this ride of life to our fullest!

One of the most unpredictable outcomes of this roller-coaster journey of life is a range of

health concerns. Despite advanced technology, cancer remains a serious health condition that

is exponentially growing amongst our global population.

This has resulted in increasing Artificial Intelligence (AI) treatments, telehealth care, and

personalised cancer vaccines for cancer prevention, cancer support, early diagnosis, and

treatment interventions with better accessibility to the cancer-affected population.

The important question remains, WHY DO CANCER PATIENTS STILL HAVE A

LOWER QUALITY OF LIFE?

The National Cancer Institute defines quality of life as: “The overall enjoyment of life.”

Despite the quality of life being measured by several factors, this simple definition chose to

include only the word “Enjoyment” as the defining factor.

I believe that sometimes, amidst undergoing the extensive treatment plan of individuals

dealing with cancer, their willpower to enjoy life as it comes is shaken. Even the patients

who are in remission still have the anxiety of relapse, which prevents them from fully

enjoying or even pursuing the daily activities of life. This leads to emotional distress, which

in turn impairs the mental health of that individual, as well as their families and caregivers.

At times, parts of our society still view cancer as the defining trait of an individual.

Awareness related to cancer care and treatment is increasing, but awareness towards our

interactions and conduct towards cancer-affected people still needs to be instilled within our

society. All these aspects reduce the individual's willpower to enjoy, thereby lowering the

quality of life.

Despite all this, when certain individuals dealing with cancer devote their entire life to the

welfare of other cancer-affected individuals, I realise that there is still hope to restore the

enjoyment of their lives.

Recently, I received the golden opportunity to speak with Mrs. Meenakshi Dhingra ma’am,

the founder of Tanisa Foundation. Her daughter, Ms. Tanisa Dhingra, succumbed to ovarian

cancer after fighting a long and brave battle. As her mother and primary caregiver, she

normalised cancer and supported her daughter’s decision to go outside, to increase cancer

care awareness, and help cancer-affected individuals. The family mantra was to keep a

smiling face and a positive attitude, to consistently ensure a motivating environment for Ms.

Tanisa.

“Tanisa demonstrated a lot of resilience,” said Meenakshi ma’am. Ms. Tanisa used to

share her story through a wide range of engagements, including workshops, webinars, and

speaking appearances at schools. Furthermore, she was deeply committed to organising

events dedicated to improving the mental well-being of cancer patients.

She chose to look past her own cancer treatment struggles and constructively use every

moment of her life in helping other individuals dealing with cancer, find the missing

“enjoyment and will-power” of their lives. This portrays the power of one strong individual

who devotes her entire heart and soul to improving the quality of life for individuals, and

their families, dealing with cancer.

This is an important message given by Mrs. Meenakshi Dhingra ma’am: “It is okay to not be okay. People take their health for granted. Listening to your body and not ignoring bodily

symptoms is an essential step for prevention, timely diagnosis, and treatment of cancer. You

need to provide holistic care for individuals dealing with cancer. Most importantly, you must

stand up for yourself and live for yourself! Tanisa used to go out even after so much

suffering; we are merely following her footsteps.”

To normalise cancer and improve that individual’s morale, it is necessary to provide timely

support and refrain from giving them untimely, unwanted advice. Doing this can make the

society more inclusive for that individual.

In conclusion, we must reshape our outlook towards individuals having cancer. The journey

should be a shift from viewing them primarily as cancer patients to viewing cancer being one

aspect of that person’s life. The individual has several other life experiences and qualities in

their personality that define their lives. We should gently remind them that they still possess

those in their heart, and we are here to support them. The shift shall help them in living their

life to the fullest, higher enjoyment with lower stress, so improved mental health and well-being of that individual. Improved well-being will lead to improved quality of life for people dealing with cancer.

Tanisa ma’am advocated that cancer should not define an individual’s quality of life. She

chose to evolve from a human being suffering from cancer, to being a humane individual

with empathy towards people dealing with cancer.

The question is, “Are we willing to follow her footsteps?”