At the end of April, social debater and comedian Shabana Rehman (46) was able to share the sad news that she had contracted cancer. She did so in an interview with Se og Hør.
On Thursday, it became known that the 46-year-old has passed away. This is confirmed by Rehman’s brother, Shakeel Rehman, on Facebook.
– I am familiar with dying
“It is with bottomless sadness that I have to announce that our much-loved irreplaceable sister, daughter, aunt, friend, centerpiece, cheerleader and pride passed away peacefully this morning,” the brother begins the post with.
Rehman was admitted to Akershus University Hospital at Christmas, with the whole family and boyfriend Petter Simonsen around him until the end.
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“She has fought hard and never given up hope. She wanted to live on for her family, her love and for the country that she loved so immensely, he writes further,” the brother writes further in the post.
“Always been so fond of you and proud of you. Deeply missed forever”.
Praised
Among those paying tribute to the comedian is Subjekt editor Danby Choi.
– A very dark day. Shabana was one of the most important Norwegians who ever lived, says Choi to Dagbladet.
– She was also one of the very first liberal immigrants who broke the boundaries of what a woman and immigrants can be. She refused to submit to religious doctrines.
Furthermore, Choi explains that he has personally been very inspired by Rehman’s ideas.
– She has fought a very liberating battle for many miniorites.
Ended up in the emergency room
At the start of 2022, Rehman was one of the participants in “Farmen kendis”. Right after the launch on “Good morning Norway”, she ended up in the emergency room.
– My face was completely yellow, it turned out to be jaundice. Earlier that week I had thrown up a lot. I thought it was either venereal disease or a stomach ulcer. Especially stomach ulcers, since I’ve been in a lot in recent years. But then it was neither. It was pancreatic cancer with spread, she told honestly in the Se og Hør interview.
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The doctors’ message was clear: if the treatment did not work, it was not certain that she would survive 2022.
Not long after, she was able to announce to Dagbladet that the chemotherapy treatment had ended, and that the only thing the Norwegian cancer doctors could offer her was pain relief. Thus, a Spleis was started so that she could have immunotherapy carried out abroad.
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– I only feel gratitude in the depths of my heart for all the love that flows in from all over the country. Yes, from abroad too, she told Dagbladet at the time.
This was followed by a period where the 46-year-old often traveled to Germany to receive treatment.
– Rampage wildly
At the beginning of September, Rehman told about the nightmare she has been living with daily, in a debate post in Nettavisen.
– I myself do not have it easy by any means. The disease is wreaking havoc on my body, but I have made a choice. And that choice has given me a perspective of death. A peace of mind that if I have to travel further, it’s okay. Then that’s what I’m going to do, she wrote, among other things, in the newspaper.
In grief
She also said that life felt like living with two unreal timelines.
– I have to be realistic, my body reminds me of this every single day. The optimism is both a choice, but also the way I am screwed up. Therefore, my everyday life is full of hope. Otherwise I would not have been able to travel to Germany, now for the fourth time. It takes strength, she further told the newspaper.
Plan 2023
On 15 November, she was awarded Norsk PEN’s Ossietzky Prize for 2022. She received the prize for having been at the forefront of freedom of expression in a creative and sensational way for several decades.
When Dagbladet met Rehman in connection with the award, the 46-year-old told more about how his health was.
– The last few weeks have been very tough. I have been through several critical phases. It is not a given which way this will go, and I have to live with that. I have accepted that, she said, adding:
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– But the hope is still there, and I am still fighting. There are tough weeks, but then again, there are more good days than there are bad. I still have a lot to learn and a lot to share with people about this journey.
At the time, she also told Dagbladet that she was not afraid to plan for the future.
– I have started planning for 2023. Against all odds.
