Navi Indran Pillai has taken Instagram by storm with her powerful and inspiring photo series of ‘Bold Indian Bride’, shattering stereotypes of not just a shy bride but how to empower cancer survivors and patients to embrace their transformation while fighting the disease.

She speaks of how cancer has robbed many women of looking their best on their wedding day, and that her photo shoot was aimed at helping survivors realize they are bold and beautiful.

Poovanedran says “Cancer treatments have given us a lot of limitations, robbed us of beauty and taken away our confidence. As little girls, we have always dreamt of what our big day will be like and how we would look like as a bride.”
She also writes “But having cancer has stripped some of us from fulfilling these dreams. A lot of cancer survivors have postponed or even cancelled their big day.”

Poovanedran writes that she had thought she was cancer-free when she returned after five years and came to know that cancer has spread to her liver and backbone. However, she writes that after lots of chemotherapy, she beat cancer again in December 2018. Although the journey wasn’t an easy one, it didn’t dampen her spirit or her zeal.

“For me, as a cancer survivor, I dreamt the day I marry the love of my life. Dreamt, what it is like to look like a bride, to feel like a bride. Having gone through cancer treatments (chemotherapy, etc.), losing my hair was by far the hardest thing I ever had to go through,” Poovanedran, who is a motivational speaker and dancer.

She writes, “Cancer has affected us in so many different ways however good or bad, we don’t and will not let it control our lives.”