Noon of June 04, 2018. Netizens were doing their favourite job- scrolling through their Instagram feeds. But Sonali Bendre fans skipped a heartbeat with their mouth wide open in shock. ‘Sonali Bendre detected with high-grade metastatic cancer’- it meant. Not having to spot Sonali Bendre on the screens had shuddered us while we were still gulping the news with utmost disbelief, which is when we read through Sonali’s Big C announcement post and trust me you, our love for this power lady increased! Why do we say so? Read on! (Do Read: Priyanka Chopra's Mom, Madhu Chopra Finally Reveals Why Siddharth And Ishita's Wedding Was Cancelled)
Announcing the world about her cancer, Sonali’s post could be read as, “Sometimes, when you least expect it, life throws you a curveball. I have recently been diagnosed with high-grade cancer that has metastised, which we frankly did not see coming. A niggling pain led to some tests, which led to this unexpected diagnosis. My family and close friends have rallied around me, providing the best support system that anyone can ask for. I am very blessed and thankful for each of them. There is no better way to tackle this, than to take swift and immediate action. And so, as advised by my doctors, I am currently undergoing a course of treatment in New York. We remain optimistic and I am determined to fight every step of the way. What has helped has been the immense outpouring of love and support I’ve received over the past few days, for which I am very grateful. I’m taking this battle head-on, knowing I have the strength of my family and friends behind me.”
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Sonali Bendre didn’t let despair touch her and kept sharing encouraging updates about herself with her fans. In a recent interaction with Neha Dhupia’s, BFFs With Vogue, Sonali got all emotional while sharing how she felt when her hair had started to fall off. The Jo Haal Dil Ka actress revealed, “Now when I look back, life has all been about hair. It does sound kind of superficial but it is true. I have endorsed every hair product back in time and I was doing. My hair was very much part of my personality and talked about. I don’t know how to say it…the girls had come, my sisters were there, I knew it would fall off and it was beginning to fall off. I said you know what, I don’t want to feel horrible about it. I wanted to enjoy getting rid of it."
Sonali Bendre further added "We did a big deal of it. I got a short hair cut, I enjoyed that haircut. After that also, while going bald, I remember, Gayatri said to keep the long hair and make a wig out of it but I told her to give it away. It is not meant to be and I did not want to hold on to it physically. I am glad I did that. The use for it was over, I feel. It will grow back, it is (growing), in fact". (Must Read: Sussanne Khan Recalls The Time When She First Met Ex-Husband, Hrithik Roshan Back In The 90's)
If you are an ardent Sonali Bendre follower, you will realise that she often uses two hashtags accompanying her posts (#SwitchOnTheSunshine and #OneDayAtATime). Revealing the reason behind the same, she was quoted as saying, “When we heard about it, oh my god, it was like suddenly being hit by the train. We were like what do we do about it. Goldie would tell me to let’s just go through today. That is where one day at a time came through. It was like a mantra. Switch on the sunshine was because I used to feel like these dark clouds pressing down on me. I didn’t want it… so I would be like I want sunshine, switch it on. That is where it came from.” She had further added, “I am not sad about it anymore. I refuse to be sad about it.”
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Speaking to Harper’s Bazaar, Sonali Bendre had opened up about one of the strongest thoughts she had as she learnt of the nasty disease. In an interview Sonali had shared, “So when my PET [Positron Emission Tomography] scan showed up cancer had spread all over my abdomen, like fairy lights scattered all over, and when the doctor in New York said that there was about 30 per cent chance of it all going away, we were shattered.” The 44-year-old actress had further added, “But the thought of death didn’t come to me. I thought this was going to be a long struggle, but I never thought I’d die.”
On World Cancer Day on February 04, 2019, Sonali Bendre had shared many intricate details about her treatment back in New York with the Bombay Times. She had stated, “I think humour is the best way to deal with it. I laughed through it, I laughed with it. And I continue to laugh at it. There is no other way to deal with it. I think I will change my vocabulary. I remember that post-surgery, I would sometimes walk around the hospital with my chemotherapy IV in my hand, because I was bored of lying down. My friends have some funny videos of me doing all that stuff.” (Also Read: Janhvi Kapoor And Khushi Kapoor's Throwback Picture With Sridevi Will Make You Say 'Gone Too Soon')
Sonali Bendre had also shared about what kept her going and how she dared to turn such nature’s hostility into a boon, “My hair had gone and I was constantly rubbing my head. I have one of those videos, where my friend is telling me that I am constantly rubbing my head, and I turn around and tell her that I am actually dancing to Tattad Tattad. They fell down laughing. Even while the chemo was going on, we would look at videos, crack jokes and laugh. I told myself, I am spending so much of money here, so I will treat it like a holiday in NY, with a little bit of chemos thrown in. That was my way of dealing with it.”
Sonali Bendre, you are such an inspiration! We are sure that you will be all hale and hearty very soon!
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