Rajshri Deshpande recently spoke about her experience after being diagnosed with breast cancer last month. She has been sharing updates about her recovery on social media. On World Health Day, she explained that her aim is to help people feel more comfortable talking about what she calls the “C word”. She said, “If it’s there, that doesn’t mean that your life has ended. It has just begun, actually, and we have to look at it in a very empathetic manner. I feel that the end of the world is if you don’t take life positively, or with warmth and love.”
The 43 year old actor has also been working to spread healthcare awareness for the past 10 to 12 years. She believes there is still a need for improvement, especially in rural and smaller areas. She said, “There are so many taboos and healthcare is not as accessible and affordable to people, and also the awareness is less, so as an actor and a social worker, I believe that I should talk about it, and spread more and more positivity through this.” She further added, “What we need to do is streamline healthcare properly.
It should not be associated with privilege. I’ve been promoting healthcare awareness in villages for the past 10-12 years now. So, I know how in villages and tier three cities, it is so difficult to get the right kind of advice on the ground. They don’t have even the basic tests over there. So, it is important to have that system everywhere. It should not be that they need to go to big cities and get the operation done.”
She also spoke about the need to change how people think about hospitals and treatment. According to her, hospitals should feel safe and welcoming rather than frightening. She said, “Hospitals should not be a space where people are scared to go. Hospitals should be made more friendly and more accessible to people.
Insurance is a facility that has been given, but it is so difficult for a layman to complete even that whole process. People like us can still manage it but it’s not easy for everyone and that’s why they are scared. We need not just conversation, but action now. There is a lot of discussion about healthcare, but what about on ground implementation? It’s about the actions. That’s why it has to be streamlined and structured properly.”
Talking about her personal journey, she said that staying positive is very important. She shared, “You have to make others also aware around you. You have to make them know that this is how I’m feeling. That’s why every day a new friend of mine is accompanying me to my hospital visits and we’re talking and sharing. It’s also because I want to talk about the positive space, meet people, be happy, eat good food and that’s the only thing we want. Even with my family also, I’m telling them that no matter what is happening, the one mantra is to be happy. The positive mindset is necessary not just for the journey, but for life.”