Lisa Ray on her ‘true better half’ Jason Dehni, being an inspiration to cancer patients and losing hair but not hope

I’m back to treatment as my condition is incurable

Lisa Ray on her ‘true better half’ Jason Dehni, being an inspiration to cancer patients and losing hair but not hope

    There’s much more to cancer survivor and awardwinning actress Lisa Ray than her graceful demeanour and courage. She has committed her life to help cancer patients across the globe and doesn’t shy away from using her celebrity status to raise money or awareness. Lisa was recently in India for an event, and chatted with us about her survival, her “secret weapon” and plans for a comeback in Bollywood.
    Lisa got married last year to bank executive Jason Dehni in California. Talking about him, she says, “He is my secret weapon; he is just an amazing soul. He is very open-minded and he is positive. He is grounded and always tries to make things easier for me. He is in true sense of the term my better half. I have found my missing part.”
    Life certainly has come a long way for Lisa, who discovered in 2009 that she had cancer. She fought it stoically and emerged a survivor. Even though she is not completely cured even now, she is working hard on her health. She says, “The condition I have is incurable. I went back to treatment at the beginning of this year and since then I have been working hard on aspects of my health. Reading a lot about nutrition has helped as I have tried to control my eating habits. It’s all about how we handle our body. Cancer gave me the permission, I think, to celebrate fully and embrace the bounty of food. If you are denying yourself food, you are denying life. Fighting this was not easy. I wish no one ever gets this disease, but it’s fate. It helped me grow. There were days when I got frightened and frustrated, but I always tried giving a positive spin to my life.”
    She adds that her family supported her considerably during this time. “My family has been a great support. My dad has been my greatest inspiration,” she says, adding, “He gave me the strength to put up a brave fight. My husband was not there in the initial stage but he is a great support for me now. Fighting death was challenging. I keep reminding myself that I should have control over the way I am leading my life and always stay connected to the things I love in life as those are the necessities for survival”
    She also has encouraging words for Yuvraj Singh and Manisha Koirala, both of whom have dealt with cancer recently. She says, “I never got to interact with Yuvraj but I’m certainly happy that he has come out of the crisis. Manisha has been wonderful, she has survived and it’s amazing. I have met many who have survived the disease and are celebrating life. People in India panic once they are diagnosed with cancer. This illness can be handled.”
    During her illness, Lisa started writing a blog about her fight with cancer. Right now, she is starting a new blog that will be about the second part of her life, about her life after survival, happy memories, and post-marriage experiences.
    And now that she is an inspiration to people the world over, Lisa is perennially thinking of ways she can help them survive. She says, “I want to contribute in my own way. Money is an issue when you are fighting cancer but there are hospitals like AIIMS in Delhi that have very good doctors who can take care of you. I have been working with an organisation in Delhi that helps cancer patients. I donate whatever I can raise. I have started a line of cocktail saris with a designer and I am trying to donate to this organisation from the sale. In India is we don’t have enough oncologists. Also, the drugs need to be more accessible here.”
    As far as her Bollywood comeback goes, she says, “Most of my films were independent ones. Right now Bollywood is going through a fantastic time. Wish I was starting off now as the movies now are different.”

Lisa Ray