‘I accepted reality and chose to live with it on my own terms’

Piya Bajwa was busy climbing new heights of the corporate world. She was the Regional Head of the Indo-French and the Indo-Italian chambers of commerce, and more recently, led the New Business division of two American chemical engineering firms in India. It was amidst all this that she was diagnosed with cancer.

“It was a wakeup call,” says Bajwa who did not let cancer to stop her life. The first thing she did, post her first chemo session, was to pack her bags and head to an official trip to Mumbai from Delhi just as planned. “I remember holding the first clutch of hair looking at the mirror in the hotel room of the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai. Once I returned home after the official trip, I simply shaved my head. I accepted reality and chose to live with it on my own terms. I remember driving to the hospital for my radiation in the mornings, which usually was a couple of hours of hospital time, after which I would drive to the office,” adds she.

Amidst her battle with cancer, something did change. Focus! “My focus changed from chasing a professional career to a burning desire to do something that could help those fighting this disease, and in all probability, alone. The reality of India is that breast cancer is seen as some sort of curse, or taboo or result of bad karma inflicted upon women. How outrageous is such a perception! This has to change, and I hope to do my bit, with the help of those who have come forward to support the Nobility for Ability Inaugural Fund Raiser to bring about a positive change to how breast cancer is seen in our society,” says Bajwa.

Having experienced the challenges that individuals and their loved ones face against a society that is insensitive to those dealing with cancer, Bajwa took on the initiative to raise awareness about issues such as breast cancer awareness, children with special needs and empowerment of women, and to raise funds to support organisations that are committed to being drivers of change –– organisations that are enabling the afflicted to stand up in their own right –– and could do more with some goodwill.

Talking about the prominent fears that people fighting with cancer have, the 47-year-old, shares, “The first fear is of imminent death. Then, the financial drain on the family. Yes, we are all on a short leash but the question is how we spend that pre-defined time that we call life. Since I had a very positive frame of mind, I try and share that thought process and approach towards life with those affected by the disease. My effort is to inspire them not to see the glass half empty, but the opportunity to fill it to the brim with positive thinking, action and loads of fun.”

While we do have people like Bajwa initiating dialogue on cancer, but how far have we as society matured?  “My personal experience says, we have a long way to go. The maturity of the society towards breast cancer is to accept its possibility and therefore act on it. That involves self-examination and early detection. A matured society would have the man of the family to encourage the women in his family to take breast cancer seriously. Also, since the treatment is so expensive, families should plan their financials for any untoward situation. That’s the reality we are faced with and should not be ignored,” says Bajwa.

Bajwa’s Nobility for Ability has organised the fundraiser event Power of Pink: Live Life. Be the Change! It will initiate conversation on cancer awareness in solidarity with cancer survivor women. “The funds raised will be utilised for campaigning across various sections of our population on the need for early detection, financial planning, and support a woman needs from her near and dear ones as she battles breast cancer. It’s a 12-month initiative we are embarking upon,” says Bajwa.

(Be a part of the event taking place today. Gates will be open from 7.30 pm onwards at 1 AQ, Qutub Minar.)