Fear cancer recurring, but have to be positive: Manisha

Mumbai: Actress Manisha Koirala, who was earlier diagnosed with ovarian cancer and has now recovered, says there is always a fear the disease may recur but she believes in being positive in life. `I did not take care of my health earlier... I was not looking after myself. It (cancer) made me realise health is important, eating right is important, exercise is required. There is a fear that it (cancer) can come back anytime. But one must be positive,` Manisha said.

Manisha, 43, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2012, a type of cancer that is difficult to diagnose and may often be detected late as it does not have typical symptoms. `Cancer is a huge challenge, a huge test some of us survive and some don`t due to various reasons. There is lot of stigma attached to it (cancer), you lose all hope, your family is also living in negative environment, you feel there is a dead end. But I was fortunate to have people around me who helped me and were there with me emotionally,` Manisha said. The actress plans to do something for those suffering from the disease. `Cancer is not the death sentence, there is hope. Science has changed by leaps and bounds. Today we are able to deal with the treatment. I want to raise hope for people who don`t have hope, who don`t have access, resources. I will do something through certain platform... In certain ways. I want to repay back to the needy,` she said. Manisha said some Bollywood celebrities like Shatrughan Sinha, Tabu and Gulshan Grover enquired about her welfare during her testing times.