They say you can't truly know something until it happens to you. In 400 BC, Greek physician Hippocrates gave cancer a name — calling it "karkinos", which in Greek means a giant crab resembling the tumour. In the 1940s, chemotherapy came into light. But it wasn't until 2011, that Priya Sheth became aware of cancer.

The 35-year-old Vile Parle-resident and tuition teacher visited a gynaecologist for a regular health check-up when lumps were detected in her right breast. She was taken aback by the mammography report — her family had no history of cancer. After multiple consultations, Sheth underwent mastectomy. Crediting two of her professors and her brother- and sister-in-law as her core support group, she also adds Pankti to the group, her six-year-old daughter who could sense what she was going through despite not having all the knowledge.