womanthismonth.com | OCTOBER 2026 STORIES OF STRENGTH 81 STORIES OF STRENGTH Bharati Choosing Myself Bahrain-based entrepreneur Bharati Rakesh, founder of Mumbai Fusion, was diagnosed with breast cancer at 37 after discovering a lump. Here, she reflects on the year that followed and how it redefined the way she saw herself. I remember running out of shower gel that morning and using soap instead. While bathing, I felt a hard, rock-like lump in my breast. I had no other symptoms. I arranged the tests immediately. When the biopsy confirmed breast cancer, the news took a moment to sink in. My husband and I went to the car park, where we held each other and cried without saying a word. The next morning, I told God, “I am ready for the challenge, as long as you take care of everything behind the scenes.” Soon, I left my husband and 13-year-old son in Bahrain and travelled alone to my hometown of Mumbai for treatment. The next 365 days brought tests and doctor visits, 16 chemotherapy cycles, two surgeries and 12 fractions of radiotherapy. At 37, I had never imagined going through cancer treatment. Yet I never asked, “Why me?” The first four chemotherapy cycles were difficult, reducing my mobility until I sometimes felt decades older than I was. Having always been fiercely independent, I struggled to rely on others. After my fourth chemotherapy cycle, I returned to Bahrain for two weeks with my husband and son before leaving again for Mumbai. Back in Mumbai, I felt I had to choose between certain relationships and my self-respect. For the first time in my life, I chose myself. I knew I needed to heal emotionally as well as physically if I was to return to my son as the mother I wanted to be. I left my parents’ home without knowing where I would stay. A family friend offered me a home until treatment was complete, caring for me with a generosity I will always remember. Another 12 chemotherapy cycles followed. Even losing my hair did not bring the tears I had expected. Instead, I was surprised by how much I could withstand. Throughout it all, my husband was the star of my life. While I was in Mumbai, he managed my business, looked after our son and home, continued with his full-time job and travelled to see me whenever he could. My son made me equally proud. He was only 13, yet he handled my absence with remarkable maturity. Every day, he sent messages to check on me and remind me to take care of myself. By the end of that year, the independence I had valued meant something different. I had learnt that accepting help did not make me any less independent, and that sometimes choosing myself was necessary. Please get yourself checked periodically and act when something does not feel right. I found my lump by chance and acted immediately. That decision gave me the opportunity to receive the treatment I needed and return to the people I had spent a year missing.
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