Keeping in line with the ‘Breast Cancer Awareness’ theme of October, social media host Zunira Malik invited women who are not just inspirational but a source of courage and hope for cancer victims. The recent Breast Cancer Awareness Programme of popular digital media talk show, Breakfast with Zunira, brought together women who have successfully battled cancer.
Attired in pink, the participants shared valuable insights on issue that has affected women all over the globe. The focus, however, was breast cancer survivor Gerley Quilala. Diagnosed with stage 3 ovarian cancer in March 2013, she is now completely cured.
Speaking to Zunira, Quilala, shared her story on how she battled cancer and emerged victorious. She told the host how the support group of her family and friends helped her endure the time which she admitted was difficult.
She was diagnosed and treated in Qatar. Her story gives inspiration to many to defeat this deadly disease.
“The overwhelming feeling that I experience while doing my work is priceless. The platform that I have provided to women in shape of Breakfast with Zunira is a cherry on the top as women from different nationalities and professions come together and share their stories,” Zunira told Community.
The recent episode featured 18 women from different backgrounds and cultures. Azqa Haroon, CEO of Beauty Hooked Qatar, was among the guests who took part in this breakfast show organised especially for the breast cancer victims followed by an inspirational speech by Evridiki Iliaki, the head of ‘How Women Work (HWW)’.
One of the featured guests was celebrity make-up artist Debi Mendez who showcased her skills on the famous model Eileen, originally from Argentina and now based in Doha for the past few years.
The event was also attended by Solange Abu Zahra, a Lebanese fashion designer, Anahi Brown from the Wellness by Anahi who is a wellness coach for empowered women and Nisma Kamran who is a Pakistani lifestyle blogger and runs a page on Instagram life in Qatar alongside other bloggers and social media influencers.
Born and brought up in Doha, Zunira has done all her education here and now is a founder of Whats’UpDoha (#WUD).
Information, awareness and education are the key elements which move social machinery in today’s world. What’sUpDoha, a social media network is one-of-its-kind in Doha. It is a platform which tells Doha’s residents “everything they should know about from the world of fashion to the stories of people living in Doha.”
The driving force behind What’sUpDoha is Zunira who conceived the idea of the programme last year and soon translated it into a dream and made it a vibrant and heavily followed social media platform. Zunira has first-hand knowledge and experience of every nook and corner of Doha.
She is also the lead host for the famous WUD segment talk show and also hosts her flagship show Breakfast with Zunira. During the course of time, WUD talk show over the last one year has highlighted many famous celebrities from Doha and their works.
Some of them were Arafa al-Hamadi, a Qatari female athlete runner/cyclist, Dr Bilal Philips, a renowned Islamic scholar, Khalifa Haroon, the founder of social media platform ‘I love Qatar’ and Elesbeth Reis, the CEO of Globar Career Qatar. These talk shows are popular on social media in Qatar.
The concept behind Breakfast with Zunira is unique in its own way and it is something that has not been adopted by anyone in Doha. It focuses on women empowerment and awareness through a social gathering.
Women from different backgrounds are invited every week which also gives self-motivation to improve career development. In addition, the event gives a platform to meet Zunira Malik as well. It is a social gathering where women mingle with each other and share their experiences and more importantly make new friends.