Jammu’s Dr Zinnia Basson shatters silence around Breast Cancer with her journey battling the disease

Talk about cancer in a room full of cacophonous people, and the room is bound to go silent. Almost as silent as the room that houses a mammogram machine. But just like the machine buzzes to life with loud pings, bright lights and plates whizzing around to help you keep pace with the health of your body, Dr Zinnia Basson, the multi-talented breast cancer warrior, wants everyone to stop going quiet around the word cancer but instead to create enough conversation around it to keep ourselves aware and healthy.

Dr Basson’s journey as an entrepreneur started in 2018 with her opening a new salon. Just like any other entrepreneur, she was neck deep in work. In 2020, renovations for her building were underway when she heard the dreaded words: you have cancer. Her world spun.

“There were no warning signs in my case. I found a lump in my breast and the journey started from there.”

Amid the loud clanking of tools busy renovating her building, Dr Basson got saddled with constant trips to the hospital over the course of several months. She took some tests and met doctors but her biopsies were inconclusive. That is when they decided to go to Delhi for a second opinion. To make matters worse, this was all happening in the middle of the COVID pandemic during a peak. Both her and her husband tested COVID positive upon their return to Jammu. As she recovered from COVID, they decided to get surgery at the end of October. After 3 months of pondering, she finally got her diagnosis.

Getting a diagnosis kicked everything into overdrive. The reality hit her fast and her emotions faster but she was confident of beating cancer.

“I didn’t tell my parents about my diagnosis till after I received my first chemo infusion. I called them to my house and sat them down to share the news with them,” Dr Basson recalls. Her family was obviously shocked.

“Breast cancer does not run genetically in my family. However, my bua (aunt) had cancer. For my parents, the news of my diagnosis brought back memories. They had seen her suffer. For my husband as well, the news was shocking but he knew we had to be strong for our son who was only 3 years old at the time.”

After rounds of chemotherapy, bouts of emotions, tons of hugs from her loved ones and adapting to a new lifestyle, she beat cancer. But only for a few months.

“Once my treatment was over, I was happy and excited thinking about what I would do next. However, in a few months, I relapsed. My doctors had warned me that my type of cancer is aggressive and chances of recurring is higher. But even they termed me relapsing as a ‘freak accident,’ something that wasn’t very common.”

This was a real kick in the gut for Dr Basson. She couldn’t wrap her head around it. Thoughts about ‘why me?’ constantly swam in her mind. “Human beings by nature are emotional and it is important for us to acknowledge our emotions especially in situations that overwhelm us. What matters at the end of the day is how we get out of it. After hearing the news, for about 10 to 15 days I was depressed. However, I pulled myself together. After all, I had fought cancer once and I had to summon up the courage and the resilience to fight it all over again.” The tests, mammograms, chemo and surgeries started all over again and continue to persist till date.

Since then, Dr Zinnia Basson has undergone a double mastectomy in May of 2022. Recently, she was diagnosed with metastatic Breast Cancer which has spread to her brain and lungs. “It is disheartening but we have to learn to find the positive side of everything that is happening in our lives. Cancer has made me invincible. I have found strength in me that I didn’t know existed and at this point I believe I can face any challenge I want to in life.”

For Dr Basson, her 5 year old son is her inspiration to keep fighting. “As a mother to a young child, I missed spending time together the way we used to. My treatment drained me of energy and often I didn’t have the energy to run around with my son and do activities like we used to. For me, it was important to explain to him why I was not going to be involved as much as I was before. When he was younger he knew that ‘mumma was not well’ but as time passes, he grasps the situation more. He asks me about my surgeries, my visits to the doctor whether in Jammu or Delhi. I believe all these things made him older than his age but he will always be my little boy. I constantly remind myself about what would happen to him if something happens to me and that’s what keeps me fighting.”

While cancer may feel like a lonely road, Dr Basson says having support makes all the difference. “In this disease, you need willpower and a good medical team but it is also pivotal to have the support of friends and family. I wouldn’t be ‘that warrior soul’ if I didn’t have the love and support of those around me.” To generate the same support it is important to generate awareness around the disease.

“People only talk about cancer once someone gets it. Otherwise they believe that they are impervious to it. However, cancer is a disease which can harm anyone,” Dr Basson says stressing the need for taking care of our bodies. “The more we talk about it and create awareness, the more people will know about the warning signs. Often, preventative healthcare measures like self examinations and yearly check ups can help us get ahead of the disease. This is vital especially for women who often overlook their own health needs for that of others in their families.”

“The more awareness we raise, the better we can support those who are battling cancer.” Dr Basson stresses on treating cancer warriors and survivors normally. “If someone is going about their day and making an effort to be normal, do not discourage them by making sympathetic off the cuff remarks. At the end of the day, cancer is a disease and we must all fight against it and the ignorance around it, together.”

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