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Submitted by Mariyam Raza Haider on 10 March 2018
Mariyam with her father in a nice outside setting

Talking and writing about health related experiences is still not common in Asia.  This International Women’s Day, we reach out to three dynamic women who share their experience as patient or caregiver to understand their motivations. In the last part of the series, we feature Mariyam Raza Haider.  

1)    Why did you choose to blog?

My strongest reason for blogging was to bring perspective to my father’s illness and its impact on my life. As I began writing about my father and his life with cancer, I understood the vigour and strength with which he lives. His determination and innate positivity have kept him strong, and I believe anyone reading about it would find the willpower to get through a similar situation.

2)    How do you benefit from sharing?

Sharing my father’s personal journey and my experience through it, has brought me responses from people who are undergoing their personal struggles. My writing has acted as a medium of empathy and encouragement for my readers, and that is my biggest benefit of writing and motivation to continue doing so.

3)    How does blogging benefit your personal life?

I look at blogging as an outlet to deal with my thoughts and have a better understanding of this time. Regular blogging influences my thought processes when dealing with an emotionally challenging scenario, with respect to my father’s condition. Additionally, blogging brings routine to my life, and acts as a system of pursuing my goals of establishing a career in writing and publishing.

4)    Have you been able to build a network with your blogging?

Yes, I have managed to establish a network of readers, journalists and editors who have read and appreciated my blog. Currently, I’ve been commissioned as a writer with Hindustan Times, to write articles on the challenges which a caregiver faces when living with a cancer patient. This has been possible by channeling my blog through a network of friends who connected me to the right people in print media.

5)    What is the most satisfying aspect of blogging?

Finding words to a multitude of emotions and writing about them provides clarity and comfort. That is the most satisfying aspect of blogging. It has helped me understand my father and his life in a much better light and draw inspiration from it.

Read about the other women who shared:

Sangeeta Murthi Sahgal: It was Cathartic and Fun to Relive Old Memories

Kirtida Oza: I talked to encourage other women to stop feeling guilty and ashamed about their illness

(Mariyam Raza Haider, 26, is a full-time caregiver to her father who is battling aggressive oral cancer. You can read her posts on http://mariyamrazahaider.com. You can also follow her on twitter @MariyamRaza for more.)

More by Mariyam Raza:

Ways to De-stress during Chemotherapy Sessions

Handling Late Night Medical Emergencies

 

 

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