'Better to die than go through this': Zerodha CEO Nithin Kamath's wife on her struggles with breast cancer, chemotherapy

Seema Patil, wife of Zerodha CEO Nithin Kamath, bravely shared her battle with breast cancer. Diagnosed in November 2021, she underwent chemotherapy, a tough journey she described as feeling like it might be better to die. However, after a year of treatment, she was declared cancer-free. 

"Chemotherapies are really really bad. The first time I got the chemotherapy done, it hit me, and I did not know what was happening, better to die than go through this.

"But the second time around, I decided that instead of just lying on the sofa, let me walk a little; that might change something, and it did. I recovered faster," Patil told Dilip Kumar on "The Other Side" podcast.

Despite battling cancer, Seema Patil made a conscious effort to stay fit, aiming to maintain a sense of normalcy in her life. 

"I just wanted to feel normal and I would not feel normal if I was not working out. I did not want to feel different. That was my way of dealing with change," she said in the podcast.

Even during tough times, Seema Patil shared how her husband, Zerodha director Nithin Kamath, remained calm and lifted her spirits with his humor, bringing happiness into their lives amidst the challenges they faced.

"He joked for me, I laughed for him. Work for him is a good distraction. He was always there, but I don't think he was stressed out. He never thought in a negative way. He knew that this is something that we have to deal with and I would be fine," she said.

Seema Patil initially considered keeping her cancer diagnosis from her son Kiaan. However, she later realized that he was mature enough to understand and support her through her journey, showing her strength and resilience as a family.

"What I realised was that he was the most comfortable and happy when I explained things to him. He would come and ask me where the stitches were. He would want to know what is happening. If I was hiding something from him, he was not happy. Being straightforward with him was something he wanted."

Seema Patil shared that her blog titled "I am the healthiest person I know, and I got cancer! - Seema" was actually written by her husband, Nithin Kamath.