"Here are 2 pictures which I shared on social media," TV actress Chhavi Mittal began her Instagram post and then directed netizens towards the two pictures she shared. She explained that the first picture was from the time she announced her breast cancer diagnosis and the second one was from the post-cancer recovery shoot. On Friday, Chhavi slammed netizens who criticized for her making her breasts visible in posts, especially after her surgery. In an elaborate note, she wrote, "While the cancer announcement post may have more of my breasts on display, emotional as I was (am) about the cancer, trying to fight the fear of what lay ahead.. whether I'll ever be the same again, or will I lead a life of compromise... it incited a lot of love and applaud from netizens, with no mention (& rightly so) of the cleavage."
Chhavi, who was diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year, had been sharing her journey on social media. Further in her post, she wrote, "While fighting cancer, I mustered up all the courage that was within me, and decided that if anything, quality of life will be even better than it was pre-cancer...because after this fight if I survive, I'll only be stronger than ever!"
The actress mentioned how people criticised her pictures by saying things like "this is not dignified" and "don't know what she's trying to be." Hitting it back, Chhavi wrote, "I shared this with the world and documented every stage of my recovery (still recovering, still share). But while everybody thought it courageous of me to announce it the way I did, the second picture invited hate comments saying "sab kuchh share nahi karna chahiye", "this is not dignified", "don't know what she's trying to be" etc."
She then explained: "Firstly, this is double standards. Secondly, the association that I have with my breasts is beyond explanation. I have fought a very hard battle to save them.. to keep them strong.. to make sure they function the way they should and to ensure that they're cancer free forever."
Adding that she will always have to struggle with keeping her body strong, she will continue documenting her journey even post recovery and wrote, "While the forever struggle will last forever, I will continue to document my victories like I always have unabashedly. If anything, I'm so damn proud of my body, not because of the way it looks, but because of the strength it has shown me. Because of what it allows me to do. And even more proud of my breasts, because only I know what they've endured and it's no mean feat to not just be survivors, but fighters all the way. But for the ones who can only hear sob stories and underdog stories, let me remind you... this page is not for the faint-hearted."
Chhavi Mittal, best known for featuring in serials like Ghar Ki Lakshmi Betiyann, Bandini and Viraasat, was diagnosed with breast cancer in April and underwent surgery for it.