Latest news with #ZahraKhan
Express Tribune
3 days ago
- Health
- Express Tribune
Zahra Khan, founder of 'If You Like Cheese' and vocal cancer awareness advocate, passes away
Zahra Khan, the founder of No-Nonsense Cheesecake (also known as If You Like Cheese), and breast cancer advocate known on Instagram as @heybreastie, passed away on Sunday after a prolonged and courageous battle with metastatic breast cancer. Widely admired for her culinary creativity and unflinching honesty about living with cancer, Zahra leaves behind a powerful legacy of advocacy, entrepreneurship and community-building. Zahra had been publicly sharing her journey with cancer on Instagram since 2022. After a period of healing, in 2024, Zahra's cancer returned and metastasized to critical areas, including her spine and supraclavicular (neck) lymph nodes, marking a significant progression to Stage IV triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) - one of the most aggressive and challenging forms of the disease. News of her being on a ventilator had circulated throughout the week, until her family confirmed that she had passed away Despite her struggles, Zahra chose to publicly document her experience, including chemotherapy, a double mastectomy, radiation, and the emotional and physical toll, offering an unprecedented look into life with terminal illness. Through her candid social media presence, she became a voice of hope and vulnerability in South Asia, using Instagram reels, long-form captions, and honest storytelling to shed light on women's health, early detection, and the social stigma around cancer. Her courage resonated deeply with young women, caregivers, survivors, and even healthcare professionals across the region. In addition to her advocacy work, Zahra continued to grow her home-based cheesecake business during her treatment. If You Like Cheese became known not just for its signature desserts, but for its message of perseverance, creativity, and heart. Her kitchen became both a business and a sanctuary, a space where she continued to create and inspire. Social media pours in with tributes News of Zahra's passing sparked an outpouring of grief and admiration online. Friends, followers, and members of the food and wellness community shared tributes celebrating her honesty, strength, and entrepreneurial spirit. Popular Instagram comedian Swinery posted a heartfelt tribute on Instagram, writing: 'Thank you for praying guys. Our friend Zahra has passed on, surrounded by the deep love we all have for her. I would like to elaborate on who she was and what she meant to my friends and I. Not sure it's possible to articulate it well. But there will forever be a Zahra Khan shaped hole in our circle.' She went on to say, 'Seventeen years is a long time to know someone, but it is a brutally short amount of time when you realize that's all the time you're going to get. That the person you grew up with won't be growing alongside you anymore. Zahra was always a star and now she shines in every moment, every laugh, and every moment she was a part of.' She ended off with, 'I love you Zahra and I will always regret not spearheading the last plan. We miss you.' Followers have flooded her post with prayers, broken hearts and memories, celebrating her unwavering strength. One user wrote, 'Inna lillahi wah Inna elaihi rajeoon. So deeply saddened by the loss of an incredible human being with the fortitude to bear such immense illness and fight till her last breath. May you be blessed with ease and Jannah.' Zahra is survived by loved ones and a growing community that remains forever shaped by her story.
Daily Mail
16-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Plane passenger, 38, who drank duty-free booze before being aggressive onboard told police she had 'missed her flight' when she was arrested
A drunken mother who swigged from a bottle of duty free spirits was of 'real concern' to flight crew during a mid-air incident before she was eventually arrested, a court heard. Police were alerted before the Manchester-bound flight from Dublin due to Nicola Dooley's conduct. Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court heard a bottle of spirits she had bought was found to be three-quarters empty. Dooley had been put at the back of the plane. The 38-year-old was so drunk she didn't know where she was when she was spoken to by police. She was hauled before a judge and handed a suspended prison sentence. Prosecuting, Zahra Khan said officers at Manchester Airport were informed of reports of an 'aggressive' passenger on an Aer Lingus flight, which was due to arrive on December 22 last year from Dublin. Dooley had been moved to the rear of the plane due to her behaviour. She used 'abusive language' towards other passengers, the court heard. When she arrived at Manchester, it became 'obvious' to police Dooley was drunk. She couldn't find her ID documents and said she 'didn't know she was in Manchester', and said she had 'missed her flight'. The 38-year-old was said to be so drunk that she didn't know where she was when she was spoken to by police They discovered she had a duty free bag containing three, one litre bottles of spirits. One had been opened and was three-quarters empty. Dooley pleaded guilty to being drunk on an aircraft. Defending, Megan Edwards said Dooley had experienced 'extreme shame, embarrassment and remorse'. She said the defendant has no previous convictions. Ms Edwards said no members of staff or passengers were willing to make a witness statement. Sending Dooley to prison would have a 'significant harmful impact' on her children, the barrister said. She told the court Dooley had been travelling to and from her native Ireland frequently at the time, to facilitate contact between her children and her partner who still lives in the country. Dooley had moved to the UK months prior, Ms Edwards said. Sentencing, Judge Tina Landale told Dooley: 'Your behaviour was clearly of real concern because the staff on board requested the police to attend on landing to arrest you. 'It was reported that there was an aggressive passenger onboard who was heavily intoxicated. 'But it is relevant that not a single passenger or a single crew member has chosen to make a witness statement. 'Your behaviour demonstrates that you were extremely drunk. You couldn't find your ID documents and you didn't even know where you were.' Dooley, of Huddersfield, was sentenced to three months, suspended for 12 months. She was ordered to carry out 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days.
