Dipika Kakar gets emotional talking about her liver cancer diagnosis and surgery; says 'My biggest fear was will I be able to stay close to my child'

TV actress Dipika Kakar was diagnosed with stage two liver cancer a month ago. After going through a difficult 14-hour surgery, she is now slowly recovering and has shared her first vlog since the diagnosis. In the video, Dipika opened up emotionally about how she found out about her illness and spoke about the strong support she’s received from her husband Shoaib Ibrahim, their family, and the hospital staff during this tough time. The actress got emotional talking about the fear of being away from her two-year-old son Ruhaan. (Photo: Dipika Vlog)

For the first time, the actress opened up about her health scare and shared the emotional challenges she faced. She recalled, “When the doctor first told us about the tumour and mentioned that I would need surgery, I got really scared. It was going to be a major operation, and the further course of treatment would be decided later by specialists. But the toughest part for me was having to suddenly stop breastfeeding Ruhaan in just one night. I had no choice, and I cried a lot. Of course, I knew I would have to wean him eventually, but I never thought it would happen so abruptly. When I was diagnosed with second-stage liver cancer, I felt relieved that Ruhaan had already stopped breastfeeding because I had to start medication. Then came the hospital stay, being away from him, especially at night... all of that was incredibly hard to go through. (Photo: Dipika Vlog)

In the vlog, Dipika recalled the emotional moment when she and Shoaib first found out about her liver cancer diagnosis. "I'll always remember the corridor of Kokilaben hospital when we visited Dr. Somnath to show him my CT scan and by then the other reports had also come out, Shoaib was aware of it but he did not inform me about it. But when the doctor was checking the reports, I asked Shoaib about the results and he shared that things were not okay. When I saw the reports myself, I realised it was not okay. That moment, uss corridor mein khade rehkar we both broke down and Shoaib also broke down. Sabse pehle jab aapko ye shabdh pata chalta hai ke malignant hai or cancer hai, it creates fear in your mind. I just broke down and I hugged Shoaib tightly." (Photo: Dipika Vlog)

Post that I don't know for the next one minute what all I kept blabbering and asking Dr. Somnath. I just remember asking him "Main apne bacche ke aas paas toh reh paaungi na...(if I'll be able to stay close to my child? because that was my biggest fear... (gets teary-eyed). He said, "Yes, of course." Shoaib held my hand tightly and I could feel even he was also very badly affected. Dr. Somnath patiently listened to us and gave us time to calm down. He realised that it was a big shock for us. (Photo: Dipika Vlog)

I just gathered myself and asked the doctor about the treatment. I told him I would do everything that he suggests, I just want to get well soon. I was very scared. He told us the treatment. I came back home and did not loose my composure. We started with the formalities of getting admitted to the hospital. The thought of undergoing such a major surgery kept playing on my mind and I was very nervous and scared. Doctors kept visiting us to explain, the process. In fact, I was very scared of the tests as well. But I would say getting scared if fine, in fact, I start crying because I start feeling lighter after crying. I feel you should faith on everything that nothing bad will happen. You should not loose your strength. (Photo: Dipika Vlog)

Shoaib stood by me every step of the way. He didn’t leave my side even for a moment. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have been able to get even a single test done. He took care of me like a child in the last one month. During my CT scan and I was scared of PET Scan and I kept asking everyone if it pains, Shoaib stood there holding my feet. He kept reading dua and he has given me a lot of strength. (Photo: Dipika Vlog)

Shoaib stayed up all night while I was in the hospital. Even the slightest sound, like me coughing, would wake him instantly. I would try to quietly get up to go to the washroom, but he’d still wake up. He’s constantly taking care of everything—my medicines, my rest, my meals. I realised mera theek hona, kisi aur ke liye itna important hai, mere husband ke liye, mere life partner ke liye. Woh duniya ki harr cheez bhula ke jabse pata chala hai woh sirf mere saath hai. (That’s when I truly understood how deeply my recovery mattered to someone—how important it is for my husband, my life partner. Ever since we got the news, he has put everything else aside just to be with me). (Photo: Dipika Vlog)

Mera pair dabaane se leke, meri khayal rakhna like a kid, Shoaib did not leave my side. Like when I went inside the OT at around 8:30 am, he kept sitting there from morning 8:30 till late evening 8 PM. He waited outside the operation theatre the whole time. When a doctor finally came out and said the major part of the surgery was done but it would take another 3-4 hours, only then did he step away—because the hospital staff and others insisted he take a break and have something to eat. (Photo: Dipika Vlog)

Towards the end of the vlog, Dipika expressed heartfelt gratitude by naming every doctor, nurse, and even the cleaning staff at Kokilaben Hospital who took care of her during her treatment. She also shared that her sister-in-law, Saba, wanted to visit her, but since she had just given birth to a baby boy, Haider, the family advised her to rest instead. Dipika also praised her mother-in-law for lovingly taking care of her son, Ruhaan, despite her age. She thanked the household staff as well, acknowledging that they didn’t take a single day off and stood by the family through this tough time. (Photo: Dipika Vlog)

Dipika shared that the most crucial part of her treatment is now over and the tumour has been successfully removed from her body. However, she added that the journey is not yet complete. “There’s still a long way to go,” she said, expressing hope that she will continue to face the upcoming phases of treatment with the same strength and courage. (Photo: Dipika Vlog)