Veteran actor Aruna Irani is one of those individuals who has battled breast cancer twice. In a recent interaction, the veteran actor opened up about her health and how her proactive nature helped her detect the disease early. She recalled being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, which unfortunately relapsed in 2020.
Speaking to Lehren Retro, she said, “Aise hi ek din shooting kar rahi thi, pata nahi mujhe kaise pata laga par maine bola ‘Mujhe kuch lag raha hai’ (One day while shooting, I don’t know how, but I felt something and said, ‘I feel something’s not right’). I consulted the doctor and he dismissed it as a small lump. But I told him that I don’t want to wait till it gets bigger, I want to take it out.” Aruna shared that she underwent surgery and the lump was removed. She added, “Life went on. I never take any disease seriously. I was on a shoot just four days after the surgery. I also didn’t feel anything, no dizziness, nothing.”
Aruna revealed that the doctor advised her to undergo chemotherapy after the surgery, but she refused as she was concerned about the side effects — specifically, her skin turning dark and losing her hair — as she was actively shooting at that time. “Then the doctor said that the other option is to take a pill and I chose that as I was working. How would I shoot if I lost my hair?”
Aruna continued with regular check-ups every 6–8 months, but after five years, just before Covid hit in March 2020, she found out she had relapsed. This time, her doctor insisted on radiation therapy. Although she lost some hair during the treatment, it eventually grew back.
She said, “Meri vajah se mujh cancer dobara hua as I didn’t take chemotherapy because I was working the first time. I can’t blame it on the doctor.” She added, “Still you lose a bit of your hair but woh jaldi aa bhi jaate hai (You regain your hair soon).”
Despite facing cancer twice, Aruna’s health struggles didn’t end there. Talking about her additional health scare, she said, “I again fell ill and doctors told me that both of my kidneys have shut down. I was unconscious. I didn’t know what happened. Then when I came out of the hospital… how can I be fine today if both my kidneys were shut. I don’t know, something must have happened, only the doctors would know.”
Aruna was last seen in Kesari Veer.
