Dawn
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08:19 Sep 13, 2025
At just 40, Farhat had never imagined her world would shrink to hospital corridors, infusion drips, and the sterile hush of oncology wards. A spirited schoolteacher from Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Karachi, she was known for her laughter — loud, contagious, and always a beat ahead of the room. But after her breast cancer diagnosis, the laughter disappeared. What followed was not just the slow unraveling of her physical health, but a silent, suffocating assault on her emotional wellbeing. Sara, another breast cancer patient, endured mastectomy, chemotherapy, and the disorienting fog of fatigue and pain. But the darkest moments weren’t marked by physical suffering; they came in the long, sleepless nights filled with fear, anxiety, and an overwhelming sense of isolation. “Everyone talks about surviving cancer,” she whispered, “but no one prepares you for surviving yourself.” Like countless women in Pakistan, these women found themselves trapped in a blind spot of our healthcare system: psychological support. Farhat was rec...