- MasterChef Pankaj Bhadouria was diagnosed with breast cancer in May
- Chemotherapy caused traumatic hair loss for the chef
- Post-surgery scans revealed a 2 mm invasive cancer component
In May, MasterChef Pankaj Bhadouria took to Instagram to share that she was diagnosed with breast cancer. "Need your support and prayers," she wrote in the caption. Since then, the chef has been documenting her journey.
From hospital stays to getting a haircut, she has been keeping her fans updated about her health. In a recent post, Pankaj shared the "traumatic" experience of losing hair to chemotherapy.
MasterChef Pankaj Bhadouria On Chemotherapy Hair Loss
In a recent Instagram post, Pankaj Bhadouria shared a picture of herself in front of the mirror. She is holding a comb with a bunch of hair entangled in it.
Hair loss during chemotherapy is normal, and no matter how much a person prepares themselves, the reality hits harder than one can imagine, especially when hair is such a crucial aspect of one's identity and appearance.
Sharing her ordeal, the chef wrote, "You know it. You are prepared for it. But when it hits you, it hits hard. I was always prepared for hair loss in the 3rd week of chemotherapy. But when it started happening, it stopped my breath."
The MasterChef Season 1 winner said that she was proud of her long, thick, strong hair, but witnessing it fall after chemotherapy has been nothing but "traumatic".
"I know I will get them back, even better... but this is where it is hurting the most," she further mentioned in the caption.
MasterChef Pankaj Bhadouria's Cancer Diagnosis
On June 1, MasterChef Pankaj Bhadouria shared a video note thanking her fans and well-wishers who reached out to her and checked up on her after hearing about her diagnosis. She added that she was on the road to recovery.
"I am so overwhelmed, and I am so grateful to you all," she said.
On June 24, she revealed that after undergoing breast cancer surgery in the last week of May, doctors were hopeful that she would make a full recovery in four weeks. However, post-surgery scans revealed a 2 mm invasive component, for which she had to undergo 12 chemotherapy sessions and a year of targeted therapy.
She added that she would be tackling it "one day at a time" and requested her fans to stand by her during these difficult times.
On July 10, she shared, "Getting comfortable with moving out of the house now! What was earlier a daily norm is now an exciting outing. How time has brought joy to the simplest of things that I earlier took for granted."
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