World Cancer Day 2021: Irrfan Khan to Sonali Bendre, inspiring stories of Bollywood celebrities
Each year the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) organizes World Cancer Day on January 2, to raise worldwide awareness and inspire action for a cancer-free future. Bollywood actors not only entertain us but even inspire us in so many ways. There have been many Bollywood celebrities who have not just been heroes on-screen but also in their real life. They battled courageously with this fatal disease and came out victorious.
As today the world comes together to celebrate the spirit of cancer patients and survivors, let us have a look at the inspiring stories of Bollywood actors who suffered from the disease:
Irrfan Khan
On March 16, 2018 Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan released a first statement about his ongoing fight with cancer. He sadi, “The unexpected makes us grow, which is what the past few days have been about. Learning that I have been diagnosed with Neuroendocrine Tumour as of now has admittedly been difficult, but the love and strength of those around me and that I found within me has brought me to a place of hope. The journey of this is taking me out of the country, and I request everyone to continue sending their wishes. I hope to be back with more stories to tell.”
— Irrfan (@irrfank) March 5, 2018
After undergoing cancer treatment in London for a year, Irrfan returned to India in February 2019. He thanked his well-wishers once again for supporting him during his recovery from cancer. His health improved and he also shot for a film Angrezi medium, which is his last on-screen appearance.
— Irrfan (@irrfank) March 16, 2018
However, in April 2020 the actor succumbed to the fatal disease.
Sonali Bendre
In 2018, Sonali Bendre was diagnosed with metastatic cancer. The actress gave a tough fight to the disease and redefined life after illness. Sonali tweeted, “There’s no one way to tell how our experiences change us or shape us. Not all transformations are visible. What I’ve learnt is to never let it hold me back. I’d rather dress up and show up!”
In an interview Sonali had told, “After I spent the entire night coming to terms with it, I got up and decided now no more crying and weeping. From now on, there will be happiness. I saw the sun coming up, clicked a picture and shared it with my family and my girls, and said, Girls, Switch on the Sunshine.” Sonali’s courage indeed inspired a lot of her fans and cancer survivors all across the world.
Rishi Kapoor
Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor, in 2020 revealed that he had been battling with Cancer, seeking treatment for about nine months and that the whole process would go on for about 11 months. The actor opened up about his battle with the disease and lived like a hero till his last breath.
Tahira Kashyap
Ayushmann Khurrana’s director wife, Tahira Kashyap suffered from cancer and documented her cancer journey on social media which inspired so many. From posting pictures of her bald head to showing her scars, her posts have carried messages of hope for many women who go through breast cancer. She even came up with a podcast, My- ex breast, where she talked about fighting cancer and its effect on her family.
Anurag Basu
In 2004, director Anurag Basu suffered from acute promyelocytic leukemia, a type of blood cancer. Though the doctors predicted that his chances of survival were 50%. Anurag did not let this shake him and he continued writing scripts and completed the film from Hospital bed. He released films like Barfi and proved that any battle can be strong will.
In an interview, Anurag said,”One evening Mahesh Bhatt came to visit me he put his hand on my forehead and burst out crying aloud. I was very shocked to note such a strong man behave in this manner. He put his soothing hands on my forehead and said, ‘Anurag tujhe cancer hai.’ But I put a brave front and said, It’s like cold, cough, and fever. I know I will be able to fight it nothing to worry about.”
Manisha Koirala
The actress won a battle against ovarian cancer. She has also written a memoir, Healed: How Cancer Gave Me a New Life.
Manisha had shared pictures of her journey on social media. Her social media profile is an inspiration for everyone who is battling cancer. In one of the posts she shared a collage wherein first picture she was lying on hospital bed and in the second standing valiantly surrounded by snow-capped mountains.
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Along with the collage, she wrote, “Forever grateful for second chance to life. GM friends.. this is an amazing life and a chance to live a happy & healthy one (sic).”
Forever greatful for second chance to life 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻gm friends.. this is an amazing life and a chance to live a happy& healthy one 💖💖💖 pic.twitter.com/LzCL25mWVc
— Manisha Koirala (@mkoirala) December 1, 2019
Lisa Ray
Lisa Ray was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a rare form of blood cancer, in 2009. Lisa is one such celebrity who has always talked about her ordeal with the disease.
In an interview, Lisa said, “Cancer has changed me, but also in a weird way, it has been a gateway into a new phase. People do not necessarily associate cancer with finding the love of your life, but I got married while living with cancer. There is no end mark for my cancer.”
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She also said, “My life has spiralled out of control for too many times. Through my Buddhist practices I have come to a great sense of peace.”