In a bid to bring to the fore, ordinary individuals and their extraordinary stories and achievements, The Navhind Times organized a talk with body positive campaigner, Sabreena Shah who shared her amazing story of her trials and tribulations of living with Polycystic Ovarian Disorder (PCOD) and overcoming the same.
Sabreena began with a brief introduction about herself and recounted the onset of the disorder at age 15. She narrated how the first panic attack made her realize something was amiss. From the initial misdiagnosis to learning about the condition, she spoke from her heart. “When the doctor finally diagnosed I had PCOD, I was clueless about the disorder. I was terrified and thought I was going to die since I had never heard of it. There wasn’t much information about it then,” she said and went on to explain about the disorder and syndrome through a PowerPoint presentation. From the symptoms to the treatment, she spoke knowledgeably from her personal experience and in-depth study.
She then spoke about the humiliation and ridicule she faced as a bearded girl and said,” It was extremely traumatic. The stares, the whispers, the grins and laughs were often just too much. There were days, I did not even want to get out of bed and meet people, all I wanted to do was die.” Her harrowing story of battling clinical depression had the audience listening with rapt attention.
From suicidal tendencies and hitting rock bottom to the gradual climb up, she spoke about the struggle and how every day is a new day now. Encouraging the audience, which had men and women in equal number, she said, “Today I wear my beard like a jewel more confidence than ever and want to tell all the ladies who have PCOD/PCOS, that it is not the end of the world. No one can tell you how to look. You don’t have to fit into any category made by society. This is your life and your body, so be you, not what society thinks is ideal.”
In the final part of the talk, Sabreena answered questions and doubts of the audience.
