Internet heaps praise on woman who shared image of her cancer scars on social media

Marie-Claire Dorking
·Contributor
Tahira Kashyap has bravely shared an image of her cancer scars, pictured here with her husband, Ayushmann Khurrana [Photo: Getty/Instagram]
Tahira Kashyap has bravely shared an image of her cancer scars, pictured here with her husband, Ayushmann Khurrana [Photo: Getty/Instagram]

The Internet is full of praise for Tahira Kashyap who took to social media to show off her cancer scars in a bid to raise awareness of the condition.

The writer, who is married to actor, Ayushmann Khurrana, shared a snap of her bare back with her scars, which she describes as ‘badges of honour’, proudly displayed.

The image was shared to mark World Cancer Day, yesterday, was accompanied by an empowering caption designed to help breakdown the taboo’s associated with the condition.

“Today is my day!” she wrote. “Wish you all a happy #worldcancerday and hope each one of us celebrates this day in an embracing way.

“That we remove any stigma or taboo associated with it. That we spread awareness about it and that we have self love no matter what. I truly embrace all my scars as they are my badges of honour,” she continued.

“There is nothing known as perfect. Happiness lies in truly accepting yourself.”

She went on to say that the decision to share her scars was a tough one for her, but she decided to go ahead because “I want to celebrate not the disease but the spirit with which I endured.”

“‘To quote my mentor, Diasaku Ikeda, ‘Leading an undefeated life is eternal victory. Not being defeated, never giving up, is actually a greater victory than winning, not being defeated means having the courage to rise to the challenge. However many times we’re knocked down, the important thing is we keep getting up and taking one step-even a half step- forward’”.

Unsurprisingly fans were quick to comment on her platforms with many describing Tahira as inspirational.

Since being diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer back in September, the 36-year-old has always treated the illness with optimism and humour, using her social media as an opportunity to spread a body positive message.

View this post on Instagram

Hello world! That’s a new me with the old self! Was getting tired of the extensions, so this is how it is and it’s so liberating in every sense of the word, so much so that I don’t have to duck the shower while bathing or while picking up the soap! I never thought I would go bald, was stretching my time with the good ol’ cap for too long. But this feels so good❤️ #breastcancerawareness #baldisbeautiful #selflovenomatterwhat

A post shared by tahirakashyapkhurrana (@tahirakashyap) on Jan 16, 2019 at 2:43am PST

A few weeks ago, for example, she made light of the fact that she had to chop off her hair and go bald as part of her treatment.

Her latest post also inspired others to share pictures of their own cancer scars.

“I’d like to share mine from when I was 15 and diagnosed with a myxopapillary ependymoma in my central nervous system. As it’s #WorldCancerDay I don’t let this illness define me nor did I let it defeat me,” one man wrote.

“Thank you. I’m currently recovering from lat flap surgery,” another user wrote. “With all my scars and burns I worried I would be self-conscious. Your photo gives me strength and makes me proud. I’m going to wear my scars proudly.”

Get well soon Tahira.

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