From Suffering to Safar: How Rumjhum Verma Rebuilt Her Life Beyond Multiple Sclerosis

There are moments in life that divide everything into a before and an after. For Rumjhum Verma, that moment arrived one morning in 2010.

She woke up and discovered that she could barely see.

Nearly 70–80% of her vision was gone.

What followed was a journey she could never have imagined. A visit to a neurologist led to an MRI, and soon she found herself in the ICU. It was then that she learned she was living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS)—an autoimmune, chronic, incurable and degenerative condition that would change the course of her life.

At that point, Rumjhum did not know what lay ahead. But she knew one thing about herself: she was not ready to give up.



When Life Became a Battle

Steroids became her primary treatment, while many other treatment options remained under research. She managed to come through the first crisis, but the difficult chapters were far from over.

Within two years, Rumjhum experienced a paralysis attack, followed by a brain haemorrhage. She underwent plasmapheresis and spent several months walking with a stick. There were periods when she became bedridden. Until 2020, she went through multiple clinical trials.

When those options were exhausted, chemotherapy became another part of her difficult medical journey.

Yet somewhere inside her, a different voice was growing stronger.

It told her that surviving was not enough.

She wanted to live.

“I won’t leave without living,” became more than a thought—it became a decision.

Finding Herself Again

After 30 years of marriage, Rumjhum realised that she wanted something that belonged entirely to her: her own identity.

But what could that identity be?

She started with something simple—Instagram.

She did not even know how to operate the platform properly at first. Slowly, she began making reels. What started as an experiment became a source of happiness.

And that happiness began affecting her physically and emotionally.

As she became more active, her muscles gradually strengthened. Once unable to stand for more than ten minutes, she eventually found herself doing something she had never imagined she would do again—

dancing.

The woman who had spent years battling fatigue, weakness and physical limitations was now dancing in front of a camera.

Every step became a declaration that her illness would not decide the boundaries of her life.

From Bathroom Celebrity to the Real Stage

There was a dream hiding inside Rumjhum long before Instagram.

As a child, she would stand in front of the mirror with a toothbrush in her hand, imagining herself as a celebrity surrounded by people and answering their questions.

She calls herself a “bathroom celebrity.”

Life, however, has a fascinating way of turning childhood imagination into reality.

Rumjhum was selected for the first batch of the Nari First beauty pageant, an opportunity that brought her immense happiness. She later became an influencer, participated in a ramp walk and jewellery shoot for TCJ by Beena Malji, India’s first plus-size model, and eventually won the title of Miss Vibrant.

Her journey did not stop there.

She won the Shabash Nari title from the Be Bold Foundation of Women, led by Amrita Ji. She was also felicitated by the Governor of Maharashtra and received an award from the Delhi Management Association.

She later walked the ramp for House of D MASK by Dinesh Mohan, adding yet another chapter to a story that had begun in an ICU.

A Life Built One Step at a Time

Rumjhum's journey was not without setbacks.

She explored freelancing in interior designing, but her health eventually forced her to step away from that path. Yet every closed door seemed to lead her toward another possibility.

She also experienced deeply personal losses. Before beginning this new chapter of her life, she had lost two children. She went through IUI and IVF with the hope of becoming a mother again, but as her condition progressed, that dream too slipped away.

Those experiences could have broken her spirit.

Instead, they changed her perspective.

Rumjhum chose to live in the present.

Her philosophy is simple:

“There is no past and there is no future. The present moment is the moment.”

It is a philosophy born not from comfort, but from experience.

The Mindset That Changed Everything

Fatigue remains one of the challenges she faces with Multiple Sclerosis. Medical treatments, chemotherapy sessions and physical limitations have all been part of her story.

But Rumjhum believes the biggest battle takes place within the mind.

She began practising yoga and today she can perform Surya Namaskar, something that represents much more than physical exercise for her.

It represents possibility.

For Rumjhum, every movement carries a message: your circumstances may influence your life, but your mindset can influence how you respond to them.

Her belief is powerful:

The moment you give up on yourself, no one else can carry you forward.

Instead of trying to change other people, she chose to work on herself—to become stronger, happier and more accepting of her own journey.

She began practising self-care and deliberately creating moments of happiness.

From Influencer to Podcaster

Today, Rumjhum has entered another exciting chapter: podcasting.

Her podcast channel, “Suffer Se Safar Tak,” reflects the philosophy behind her entire journey.

Initially, she was invited as a guest on podcasts. Today, she has turned the tables.

She invites founders, celebrities, sportspersons and people from different walks of life to share their stories with her audience.

Her dream is clear: she wants Suffer Se Safar Tak to become a meaningful and important platform where stories of struggle, transformation and achievement can reach people who need them.

Because Rumjhum understands something deeply—

suffering can become the starting point of a new journey.

Breaking the Cage of Age

Among her proudest achievements are the moments when she proved to herself that age and illness could not dictate her possibilities.

Winning Miss Vibrant, receiving the Shabash Nari recognition, being felicitated by the Governor of Maharashtra, receiving the Delhi Management Association award, participating in fashion and jewellery shoots, becoming an influencer, and walking the ramp are not merely achievements on a list.

For Rumjhum, each one represents a battle won against the limitations she was once told her body might impose.

She did not simply step onto stages.

She fought her way back to them.

And perhaps that is what makes her story so powerful.

Suffer Se Safar Tak

Rumjhum Verma's journey is not a story about illness alone. It is a story about identity, courage, self-belief and the decision to keep moving—even when the next step feels impossible.

She once struggled to stand.

Then she walked with a stick.

Then she danced.

She once imagined herself as a celebrity in front of a mirror.

Then she became one in her own way.

She once appeared on podcasts as a guest.

Now she invites others to share their stories.

Her life continues to evolve, but her mantra remains unchanged:

Live the moment. Keep moving. Never surrender your identity to your circumstances.

Rumjhum Verma has transformed her suffering into a safar—and she is still walking.