Dubai: Indian expatriate Sameena Javeed Khan was dealt a blow three years ago. Khan was a busy mother tending to her three-year-old daughter — but she was struggling with a number of health issues.
“I have had a number of health issues since I was in my 20s. I had hypothyroidism, chronic PCOD [Polycystic Ovarian Disease], asthma and an auto immune disorder,” she said.
Over and above her preoccupation to care of her infant child, Khan was left overwhelmed with her own medical condition. She was also overweight. “Since I was a child, I was overweight. I struggled with my health all through my teenage years and in my 20s.”
‘Something not right’
“In the middle of 2018, I sensed something was not right with me. I was getting breathless too often, there were massive bouts of fatigue and I was unable to do even basic household chores. I knew that I had to get myself checked as soon as possible. I checked my thyroid and the test results came fine. The doctors also said everything was fine, but I could sense that something was not quite all right,” Khan said.
She underwent some more scans but even those came back clear.
Unable to figure out what exactly was the problem, she met a specialist to undergo a surgery for thyroid removal. “My thyroid always had multiple benign tumours from a young age. I wanted to ensure that everything was all right,” she said.
Getting the news
The thyroid surgery went off well, but after she was discharged from hospital, Khan received a call from the hospital, asking her to come immediately for consultation. Doctors then disclosed to her family that she had papillary carcinoma (thyroid cancer) — second stage.
I have always been driven to do more and something different. As I began losing weight I wanted to do a harder and stronger workout.
“It hit us hard. On my way back home from the hospital, all I was thinking about was how I had neglected my health. I didn’t even have time to sit and worry over my cancer. Instead, I was thinking about ‘what next’ and how I could come out of it. All the questions pointed in one direction: I needed to clean up my lifestyle. I needed to get into healthy food, proper physical activity and proper sleep pattern.”
The fitness journey
Khan joined a gym close to her house. “At that point of time, I didn’t even have a clue about the functioning of the equipment there,” she said. She started with cardio workouts to shed excess weight fast. “I was researching online, reading up articles by fitness gurus and influencers. I even started learning new forms of workouts. And that’s how my fitness journey began.”
Three months later, Khan’s first radiation was scheduled. She was admitted to the hospital and away from her family for eight days. “There was no human contact. I was shut away in my room as I was subjected to a heavy dose of radiation. I used that time to reflect on my life and how badly I wanted to change everything. I wanted to feel better, be fitter and I was ready to take up the challenge towards achieving it,” she said.
After coming out of isolation, Khan resumed her fitness routine. “As the days and months went by, I became regular in my fitness routines. I lost 12kg in the first three months — from 78kg to 66kg. It motivated me to push myself to lose more. Then, suddenly, my metabolism slowed down and I lost only 5kg more in one year. This was way less than what I would have liked to lose.”
Driven to do more
“I have always been driven to do more and something different. As I began losing weight I wanted to do a harder and stronger workout,” she added.
Khan said she got into powerlifting and weight training. In fact, she started loving powerlifting so much that she finally found her peace with all the struggles she had been put through her entire life. “I fell in love with weight training and powerlifting. It inspired me to do more. I began going to the gym every day. For me, powerlifting was equivalent to meditation. I saw my body change and it uplifted my spirits.”
Khan kept training hard. By then, she had learnt to lift weight and build her muscles the right way. She wanted to blog about her fitness journey and hence started her Instagram page ‘bia_by_sash’ to share her experience. The page now has more than 10,000 followers.
“It was the start of something new in my life in order to inspire and motivate others to get into shape for good health, longevity and strength,” she said.
At the beginning of 2021, Khan decided to build her body for the stage. “People started complimenting me for my dedication and discipline. I trained and nourished my body meticulously throughout 2021. Last month, I took part in Amateur Olympia India, which is a huge platform for professional bodybuilders. I had mixed feelings about being part of such a big event. But I realised I should face my fears.”
Khan transformed herself - her image, her body and her attitude.
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‘All normal now’
“As I start 2022, I am striving to achieve more and intending to compete in sports and fitness competitions and show that a woman can be an epitome of fitness — even while juggling with her responsibilities as a homemaker. I want to inspire more women into healthy living and being good role models to our kids and the coming generation, so that they can learn to take care of themselves.”
Khan said she was declared cancer free in April 2021. “I was going through blood tests and scans once every three months. I went in as usual for my routine scan and blood report in April, which was followed by a consultation with my doctor. It was all fine. In fact, the last three check-ups, scans and blood tests have all come clear. All normal now,” a relieved Khan said.
