Going Viral: Cancer Survivor Navi’s Bridal Photoshoot Is Bold And Beautiful

If you looked in the mirror today and felt insecure about the woman staring back at you, take heart. There are things worse than a puffy face, a pimple, an under eye circle, a wrinkle or a badly done winged eyeliner. What you can do, however, is to take one look at this bridal photoshoot of a cancer survivor that’s going viral for all the right reasons. Trust me; it will make your day!

When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Gets Going

Vashnavi Poovanedran is a cancer survivor who goes by the name of Navi Indran Pillai on Instagram. Pictures from her photoshoot titled ‘The Bold Indian Bride’ went viral as people applauded her for her positivity, her bright smile that seemed like a ray of hope in a dark world and her confidence as she posed with a buzz cut – a usual aftermath of weeks of chemotherapy. In all her pictures, her infectious energy is evident as she poses in all bridal finery. The photoshoot, Vashnavi says, has been done to help cancer survivors realise how beautiful they are. Have a look at what she has to say:

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

Cancer treatments has given us alot of limitations, has robbed us from beauty and taken away our confidence. As a little girl, we have always dreamt of what our big day will be like and how we would look as a bride. But having cancer has stripped some of us from fulfilling these dreams. Alot of cancer survivors has postponed or even cancelled their big day. 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. I felt that I was not beautiful enough to be loved and was not beautiful enough to look or ever feel like a bride. Hair, it is our 'crowning glory' and having that taken away from you is devastating. But we choose to accept what we have, appreciate what we are and welcome what is coming. So here it is, *Bold Indian Bride* ****************************************************** Bangles & Bridal Anklet : @desirec.my Silk Saree & Bridal Veil : @pattushastra Photography: @celesgrd Assisted by: @shi.vaa90 Make-up & Styling : @blushbeautybeyond Assisted by : @emmanuel_ravi98 Henna: @bdazzled_beauty #kissedbycancer #cancersucks #cancersurvivor #youngadultcancer #letsfcancer ** A huge thank you to the team. You guys made my dream come true. Not only I looked like a bride, I felt like a bride and it was all thanks to the wonderful team for bringing it to life. I am so grateful to have met such wonderful people. I am extremely blessed for the amount of love and support I have received. Scrolling through the pictures, tears rolled down because I got to have my dream come true and it is because you guys made it happen for me. I am extremely grateful. Thank you all so much. Lots of love, Navi

A post shared by Navi Indran Pillai (@naviindranpillai) onFeb 20, 2019 at 7:11pm PST

What Doesn't Kill You Only Makes You Stronger

Vashnavi, a Malaysian of Indian descent, that she had once been declared cancer-free but went into remission after five years when her breast cancer spread to her backbone and liver. But she managed to beat it again in December 2018 albeit with lots of chemotherapy. She is indeed a living example of how positive thinking, positive energies and a belief in yourself can help you beat the worst things in life.

“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. I felt that I was not beautiful enough to be loved and was not beautiful enough to look or ever feel like a bride. Hair, it is our 'crowning glory' and having that taken away from you is devastating. But we choose to accept what we have, appreciate what we are and welcome what is coming.”

“I felt that I was not beautiful enough to be loved and was not beautiful enough to look or ever feel like a bride. Hair, it is our ‘crowning glory’ and having that taken away from you is devastating. But we choose to accept what we have, appreciate what we are and welcome what is coming,” she wrote.

Also Read: Having Cancer Does Not Mean That You Cut Yourself From Society, Says A Cancer Survivor!

The photography by Celes Gerard is beautiful but it is the efforts of Vashnavi’s makeup artist from Blush, Beauty and Beyond that are laudable. Since she had lost her long hair and only a buzz of hair remained, it was a challenge to fix the traditional bridal headpiece minus any hairpins to hold it in place. Also, the absence of eyebrows also meant that the makeup had to mimic natural hair for the brows to enhance Vashnavi’s beautiful eyes without making it look fake.

Bald And Beautiful

Andrea Sierra, another cancer survivor was diagnosed with stage 2 nodular sclerosis Hodgkin lymphoma. Imagine her trauma as a teenager, losing all her hair to the chemotherapy treatments that also left her frail. The journey taught Andrea to love and accept herself regardless of the way she looked. “The hair on someone’s head doesn’t define who they are. All girls are princesses, and today I feel beautiful inside and out,” she wrote on Facebook. Check out the photoshoot that she did with Gerardo Garmendia: 

Cancer doesn't stop me me from being a princess. 👑 pic.twitter.com/39RaDuVwkH

— Andrea Sierra (@sierraandrea99) August 10, 2016

Shattering all stereotypes, Vashnavi truly shows how a devastating disease like cancer should not make you hold back and that you can embrace your true self to be in control of your life. As she says in one of her posts, ‘Life is never certain so make the most of it every day’, it’s true that we should forget the vagaries of life and celebrate it each day with as much positivity as we can. In fact, we can all take a cue from various celebs who fiercely fought cancer and also showed us how bald is beautiful.