To mark International Women’s Day 2022, Nithin Kamath — founder and CEO of financial services company Zerodha — shared on LinkedIn a blog post by his wife that details her battle with breast cancer.
Mentioning that his wife, Seema, was diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2021, the young entreprenuer posted: "She decided to share her journey & learnings till now to create awareness on cancer & the importance of regular health checkups, health insurance & overall health & well being. Happy Women's Day."
In her blog post Seema writes, “I am the healthiest person I know, and I got cancer!”
On coping with the diagnosis and after, she says, “The last few months since my diagnosis have been a blur and an emotional roller coaster. I was in shock, and maybe I am still. Until a couple of weeks ago, I hadn’t spoken about my cancer to anyone apart from my immediate family and a few friends. While I am generally a private person, I also realized while going through all the tests and conversations trying to find the best doctor, that maybe I am not talking about it also because like mental illness, cancer is also a taboo in our country.”
Seema relates that she and her husband frequently discussed how cancer was a taboo and why it was important for those affected to speak openly about it.
She also mentions the need for regular health checkups and the importance of a good health insurance policy as her learnings.
"I would like to reiterate that while I have been lucky in many aspects including my physical fitness, financial freedom, support system, that have all helped me, this journey can be much darker and more traumatic for many, who are not as lucky. This is why, if you have friends or family going through serious health issues, you should do whatever to make them feel normal and help them gain the courage to look forward to a better future," she writes.