Actor
Manisha
Koirala,
who
won
a
tough
battle
against
ovarian
cancer,
said
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
PTI
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.
"When
I
was
sick,
I
was
searching
for
positive
stories.
I
could
not
get
many
stories,
except
the
success
story
of
(actor)
Lisa
Ray
and
(cricketer)
Yuvraj
Singh,
who
came
out
fighting
successfully
with
cancer,
she
said.
"So
I
decided
that
when
I
recover,
I
will
share
my
stories
with
people.
I
also
believe
that
sharing
helps
lower
the
burden
from
your
head
and
heart.
Hence,
I
wrote
the
book,
she
said.
Noting
that
the
cancer
treatment
was
expensive
in
India,
she
said
the
patients
needed
more
awareness
to
cure
the
disease
in
time.
It
is
important
to
take
your
own
decisions
and
take
control
of
yourself
rather
than
relying
on
others,
and
it
is
absolutely
vital
to
have
information
about
the
disease,
she
said.
Talking
about
the
support
she
received,
Manisha
said
although
many
strangers
turned
up
and
helped
a
great
deal,
yet
the
all
important
emotional
support
came
from
her
mother.
I
had
to
make
peace
with
my
death.
I
made
a
promise
to
myself
that
if
I
get
to
live
again
I
will
spread
awareness
about
cancer
It
is
the
perception
towards
the
problem
that
matters.
You
can
take
it
as
a
challenge
or
see
it
as
something
that
you
cannot
overcome,
said
Manisha,
who
is
goodwill
ambassador
for
the
UN
Population
Fund.
It
would
be
nice
if
women
go
out
and
prove
themselves,
make
a
statement
for
themselves
and
make
it
known
that
they
deserve
something
rather
than
playing
a
victim
card,
she
said.
To
a
question
on
her
biopic,
she
said,
I
still
have
a
lot
to
do
so
that
an
interesting
movie
is
made
on
my
life
I
will
continue
acting
as
I
am
in
love
with
films
and
acting."
Born
into
the
prominent
Koirala
family
in
Nepal,
Manisha
made
her
Bollywood
debut
with
"Saudagar" in
1991
and
went
on
to
act
in
films
like
"1942:
A
Love
Story",
"Akele
Hum
Akele
Tum",
"Bombay",
"Khamoshi:
The
Musical",
"Dil
Se",
"Mann",
"Lajja"
and
"Company".
She
took
a
break
from
acting
in
2012
and
returned
five
years
later
with
the
coming-of-age
drama
"Dear
Maya",
Netflix's
"Lust
Stories"
and
"Sanju".
Credits
-
PTI