Hopeful, optimistic and raring to go-that’s who I was. I always worked hard for securing admission in a good college, getting a good job, and being independent in life. While I did achieve these goals as I turned 20, life had some other plans for me.

After finishing my graduation in 2016 from my hometown Delhi, I shifted to Bangalore to pursue my job. Everything was good for 5 months until I started getting symptoms of tuberculosis: loss of appetite . fatigue, coughing, and headache. I used to eat only once in a day or sometimes skip all the three meals. My colleagues advised me to get a health check-up done, but their advice went in vain.

I approached a doctor when my body reached the stage of ultimate collapse; I could barely walk for 200 metres by myself, and my mother insisted I get the tuberculosis test done. If it wasn’t for her, things would have been worse.

In January 2017, the doctor informed me that I had Tuberculosis and advised me to leave the job and complete the treatment in Delhi. Since my parents stayed in Delhi, it was best to stay under their care for a faster recovery.

I came back to Delhi, wrecked both physically and emotionally. It was extremely difficult for me to accept reality. My day would begin and end with swallowing medicines, and I was so tired of questions about what had happened to me, that I stopped interacting with anyone. For months my universe got limited to the four walls of my room.

Sitting at home was making me go nuts, so I started applying for jobs but in Delhi. Though I still didn’t have the same physical stamina to work, I thought my life would get back to normal when I started receiving interview calls.

When I woke up on the morning of 24th March (incidentally World TB day) 2017 to prepare for an interview, my face was itching and burning. I looked in the mirror and screamed for 30 seconds straight. The TB medicines started showing their side effects: my skin had developed red patches all over, which eventually turned into acnes.

I begged the doctor to stop TB medication, but it was in vain. Tuberculosis is a disease where you can’t skip even a single dose. So now I was not only on TB medicines but a plethora of other pills to control the spread of acne. The skin problem got worse day by day. Meanwhile, I was also diagnosed with hyperthyroidism, which meant an increase in body weight – I had gained 15 kg weight during the course of medication. Poor skin, increased weight, bullying and constant comments on my physical appearance all took a toll on my self-esteem. I felt caged and trapped by the disease. With each passing moment, I had only one question – why me?

The unconditional love and support from parents and friends helped me to focus more on the positive. I got in touch with one of my school friends, who is a doctor now, and she encouraged me to be more open about my problems and the disease. She made me realize that it was completely fine for TB patients to suffer from the side-effects, and I need to move on in life. This was also the time when I started searching online to get in touch with TB advocates. Hearing stories from the people who had suffered the same fate, provided me comfort in ways that were unimaginable.

I subsequently brought a change in my lifestyle. I started making these little, but significant changes – going out for morning walks to build my physical capacity, and restricting my intake of junk food. I started eating 4-5 fruits every day to keep my body temperature cool and keep the skin healthy. Self-love becomes extremely important – I accepted the entire 73 kgs of myself. Accepting yourself solves half of the problem.

I also got back to the job in October 2017. Simultaneously, I took the CAT exam in November 2017. And eventually got into the SP Jain Institute. Things weren’t easy when I joined the b-school. I was still on medication in the first year for one problem or the other. But I neither let it hamper my academic performance nor used it as an excuse to evade my professional responsibilities towards my batch mates – be it any group academic activity or extra-curricular activity.

A lot of times life felt far from normal, but I was always fine at the end of the day – happy with how far I had come.

In Feb 2019, I stopped my medication completely and the sheer happiness that I felt is something that I can’t express in words. I am about to complete my MBA and will be joining a firm in the next couple of months.

The battle with TB and its side-effects has been extremely challenging, but each failure and each moment of being bullied and put down by people has made me stronger. The 73 kgs of me today is better than the 58 kgs of 2016.