Spicezee Bureau
Mumbai: Celebrated for her cosmopolitan looks, model and actress Lisa Ray is suffering from Multiple Myeloma - an incurable cancer of White Blood Cells. The svelte beauty shared this news in her blog – ‘The Yellow Diaries’ and is coming to terms with the terrible reality.
Devastated by the revelation, friends and colleagues of Lisa are in a state of complete shock. According to Vikram Bhatt, the director of ‘Kasoor,’ which marked the debut of Lisa in Bollywood said, “I am in complete shock, I’m going to check on her immediately.”
According to Shamim Sarif, the director of Lisa’s upcoming flick ‘I Can’t Think Straight’ tweets, “I have known since her diagnosis but at this point Lisa wants to truly raise awareness and funding to make sure this incurable disease finds a cure.”
While talking about her depleting health, an inconsolable Lisa blogs, “I’ve started this blog to give people an insight into my life,” she wrote. “The yellow diaries will be a place where I write about my personal journey.”
On 8th September, Lisa posted, “I was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma on June 23rd. Started my first cycle of treatment July 2nd.Notlong ago.”
The actress continued, “For me, it was a relief to hear what was wrong. The plasma cells in my bone marrow were rampaging, multiplying, squeezing out the red blood cells and it was time to begin doing something about it. I was also tired of being tired all the time. And you just know when something is not kosher with your body. So when I sat there with Bobcat — my life partner and reservoir ofYellow—andgot thenews I didn’t react and I didn’t cry. I’m an actress, believe me, I can be dramatic. Not just then though.”
Incidentally, the actress decided to get a medical checkup only, “a few months ago, my bone marrow started sending me messages. I was always exhausted, pale, drained... The lack of oxygen made me a serial yawner and spacier than a displaced Czarina. Little did I know, but my hemoglobin had fallen to levels where even a dedicated Blood sucker would turn their thoughts to revival... I got a routine blood test and the results sent me to the hospital for a blood transfusion.”
“...And then I stopped travelling and returned to Canada. Got myself tested by Dr Susy Lin, landed in emergency and eventually got full membership into the Cancer Club. That’s how I found out I have Multiple Myeloma.”
However, when contacted, the spokesperson of Lisa was completely unaware of the terrible news.
First Published: Wednesday, September 09, 2009, 10:47