UTTAR PRADESH: That she started a new business at 42 is not the most inspiring aspect of her story. After all, launching a new venture in one’s forties is not unheard of. What, however, does make Laveena Jain of Meerut a cut above the rest is the circumstances in which she reinvented herself. Now, 13 years into her pickle business, Laveena (now 56) is living proof that when life gives you lemons, you can indeed make lemonade.

Life was a bowl of cherries for Laveena, her husband Sandeep Jain and their two children until a pall of gloom descended on their happy family in 2010. The couple were diagnosed with cancer – while Laveena had it in the breast, Sandeep had mouth cancer.

The transport business they co-owned began to unravel as they underwent successive surgeries, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, accumulating debt from friends and family. And before they even knew, they had lost track of expenses.

They contemplated selling off their house to deal with mounting debts, cover their medical costs and pay their children’s fees. They had no additional support when they needed it the most.

“We were devastated – financially, mentally and physically. But we had to fight it out, not just for ourselves but for our children, then 14 (son) and 12 (daughter) years old. Selling our home felt like an admission of defeat, and it was contrary to the example of perseverance we wished to set for our children. But we considered it as a last resort,” Laveena recalls.

She chose to face the hardships head-on. Her determination guided her through those tough times. Laveena revisited her knowledge of food preservation that she had gained during the 1980s through a course at school. She learnt to prepare murabba, pickles and jams.

After completing chemotherapy, Laveena enrolled in a 100-day training programme in food preservation organised by the UP government. With an initial investment of mere Rs 1,500, she created her first batch of lemon squash and thandai.

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