JAIPUR: Actor Manisha Koirala, who won a tough battle against ovarian cancer, said on Sunday the dreaded disease had changed her as a person, as she is now kinder and values her life and health more.
The 48-year-old actor from Nepal said it was very important to have an open conversation about the disease.
She said cancer had made her kinder, gentler and had taught her that “we are all interconnected and intertwined”.
“I took my life for granted. I neglected my health, that is why cancer came to me as a teacher, it came to me as a lesson. I value my life more now, love my family, value my health because I realised if one is not healthy, one cannot enjoy any aspect of living,” she told reporters on the sidelines of the Jaipur Literature Festival.
Manisha also spoke at a session where she discussed her book “Healed: How Cancer Gave Me a New Life” which opens with the sentence “I don’t want to die”.
“The thought of death is the first thing that comes to mind when a person is diagnosed with cancer. I was utterly shocked when I came to know about the disease. It was the loneliest night. Even a familiar journey from Kathmandu to Mumbai which I had taken umpteen times felt so different,” she said.
Manisha, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2012, said she became conscious of people’s gestures and emotions while grappling with the disease. (AGENCIES)
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