Never Back Down: Shambhavi Chaudhary's Constant Fight With Lupus

Shambhavi Chaudhary was diagnosed with Lupus after several misdiagnoses. While her health struggles started early, it was this life-threatening disease that turned her life upside down. Chaudhary, however, decided to not let life slip away and do everything in her power to emerge from it. 

In this conversation with SheThePeople, Shambhavi Chaudhary opens up about her Lupus diagnosis, the umpteen health challenges she encountered, and how she continues to work towards fulfilling all her life's desires. 

Shambhavi Chaudhary Story

“Growing up, I neglected my body’s silent cries for help. I have always been ambitious and I seldom used to get fevers, stomach pains and a few issues, but I never let things bother me. I was raised by fierce parents and was my Naani and Naanu’s favourite child. I always put in a lot of effort for my grades, as excellent grades made me happy.

After five years of misdiagnosis, in 2018, when I was in the final year of my graduation, I fell severely ill and had to be rushed to the hospital. The doctors informed Naani and Naanu that I was suffering from Lupus. My family was really worried. We had never heard of it. For me, I felt like the end of the world. Honestly, I had lost all hope when Naani Maa came and gave me a tight hug. ‘How will I go for my dream vacation?’, ‘Will I die tomorrow?’, ‘Will I never have a normal life?’ all these thoughts were haunting me and made me feel helpless…

My treatment started immediately. After two days, I was disgusted to see a swollen face. I was scared to step out of my hostel room. With my finals in the next ten days, I was losing hope. When my teachers came to visit me, they were shocked to see my condition, so they suggested that I only write the exams to pass. Well, I was not okay with that… I was not being hard on myself, but I did not want to quit without a hard fight. So, I took heavy painkillers and managed to write my exams with shivering hands. I bagged a crazy score! It felt like my silver lining and at that moment, I decided that one disease could not command the rest of my story. I had dreams to achieve, and I wasn’t ready to give them up. I said to myself, ‘Shambhavi, have you worked hard all these years just to give up?’ The answer was, ‘No way!’.

With all my might, I pushed away my fears and was ready to give myself a fair chance with the last gram of strength in my body.

I meditated, exercised and was on a diet. I defeated my disease and set myself on a path to achieve my dreams. In 2019, I had to go through a terrible surgery where my leg was cut open. But the struggles have only made me stronger, and guess what? I completed my first scuba dive two years later. I do have Lupus, but just in my body, not in my head!”

Watch the video here.

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