Sonali Bendre Reflects on Initial Reaction to Cancer Diagnosis: Why Me? – Humans of Bombay
Sonali said, “I couldn’t believe that this could happen to me”
In 2018, Sonali Bendre, a well-known Bollywood actress, was diagnosed with stage four metastatic cancer. Recently, she shared her journey and the emotional toll of her battle with the disease during a podcast episode for Humans of Bombay. When asked about her initial reaction to the diagnosis, Sonali said, “When I received my cancer diagnosis, my first thought was, ‘Why me?’ I’d wake up thinking it was all a nightmare; I couldn’t believe that this could happen to me. That’s when I started to change the way I thought. Instead of ‘why me?’ I started asking, ‘Why not me?’
As Sonali reflected on her journey, she realized that her new mindset allowed her to find strength and gratitude, acknowledging that the disease wasn’t affecting her loved ones, like her sister or her son. She continued, “I realized I had the strength to deal with this, I had the resources to go to the best hospitals, and the support system to help me through this. Starting to ask ‘why not me?’ helped me start the healing process.”
Sonali Bendre Reflects on Initial Reaction to Cancer Diagnosis: Why Me? – Humans of Bombay
A few years later, Sonali revisited the New York hospital where she received treatment. She documented her experience, describing how much had changed since her initial treatment. Sonali wrote, “This chair, this view, this exact same spot… 4 years later. From sheer terror to continued hope, so much has changed yet so much remains the same. It was unreal to sit there and see patients going in and I could see that I had been through a similar journey… Saw the chemotherapy suite, the same waiting room, faces were different.”
Reflecting on her emotional return, she added, “I felt like telling the patients that there’s HOPE, and I am there on the other side and look at me today I have come in for a visit on the other side of the spectrum… It was, as you can guess, a very bittersweet, emotional day. I stepped out, looked my son in the eye, with the sunshine on my face and thanked the universe for everything.”
Sonali Bendre is known for her roles in popular Bollywood movies such as “Sarfarosh” and “Hum Saath Saath Hain.” She has also appeared as a judge on reality television shows like “India’s Best Draamebaaz” and “Dance India Dance Little Masters.” Recently, Sonali made her OTT debut in the web series “The Broken News,” a Hindi adaptation of the British series “Press,” alongside Shriya Pilgaonkar and Jaideep Ahlawat.