Roshni Kamta on Purple Wigs and Breast Cancer

Brown Game Strong

I came across Roshni's profile about a year ago when she featured on the Live Tinted Instagram page, and her story was so striking to me that I knew I absolutely had to bring her on here to have a chat. And it just so happens that we were both wearing the Live Tinted huestick when we recorded this episode! #notanad

Roshni is a proud Surinamese woman, often mistaken at first glance for being Indian, yet at the same time being so deeply and proudly ingrained in South Asian culture. She graduated from Rutgers University in May 2018 and is working in the digital marketing space in New York. In April 2019, Roshni was diagnosed with Triple Negative Breast Cancer in which she endured 16 rounds of chemotherapy, surgery and radiation therapy. Through her experience, Roshni is working to destigmatise what being a cancer patient is and to educate young women, especially those of ethnic backgrounds, to not be afraid to advocate for their health. What better time to do so than during October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

In this episode we speak about everything from her finally feeling some form of representation through fellow Indo-Caribbean Nadia from Indian Matchmaking, to getting a puppy (it seems there is a theme with these episodes!) to embracing her new hairstyle and wearing lots of colourful wigs, to surprisingly uncovering even more childhood-related traumas than cancer-related ones through therapy. We talk about experiencing chemo brain at work, and whether chemo hurts as much as they say it does? And also why it’s so important to keep your body in check, not letting societal stereotypes (and the patriarchy) shame you into not talking about feeling your breasts regularly. We also touch on the common idea of not wanting to ‘stand out’ too much in the workplace or among friends, yet still choosing to be outspoken and wanting to share our experiences with the hopes that it may somehow help somebody. I loved our chat and I hope you do too.

Disclaimer: Thoughts and views expressed are our very own; we are purely speaking from our personal experiences and do not aim to offend or disrespect. If you have any concerns with any of the areas discussed, please reach out.