Sonali Bendre Opens Up About Battling Stage-4 Cancer: Had 30 Percent Survival Chance

Sonali Bendre made her comeback to the acting world in 2002 with the web series The Broken News, whose second season recently debuted on ZEE5. During the promotions of the second season, the actress reflected on her journey and opened up about the challenges she faced after her cancer diagnosis in 2018. In a recent interview, the Sarfarosh actress revealed her husband's reaction to the diagnosis and was told that there was just a 30 percent survival chance.

Husband Goldie Behl’s face was white: Sonali Bendre

In a conversation with Shubhankar Mishra, Sonali recalled how she became aware of her condition. She knew something wasn't right with her. So she and her husband went to the doctor for a checkup. At first, she thought it might be small but as the tests progressed, she realised it was serious as she could see the faces of her doctor and husband changing. "When they did the PET scan, my doctor’s and husband Goldie Behl’s faces were white. I saw all the colour fading away from their faces," she continued.

Elaborating on her disease, Sonali added that cancer has spread so much inside her body that the scanning looked like staring at a Christmas tree. (When you undergo a PET scan, the cancer cells light up, through which doctors can spot where all it exists.) The actress was diagnosed with Stage-4 cancer and the doctor had revealed that she had just a 30 percent chance of survival.

I was in denial: Sonali Bendre

When the doctor informed her about the diagnosis, the actress was in denial, initially. She tried to sleep it off but nothing changed when she woke up the next day. It was her husband who made a quick decision and in two days, they had jetted off the country. It all happened while her son Ranveer was away at a summer camp. "I told him to slow down and give me time to organize things. At one point, he snapped and told me to stop thinking of other things and focus on myself and staying alive," the actress added.

Sonali Bendre opens up about her chemotherapy

The actress recalled her experience and shared that it was like a nuclear attack on her body. Owing to the treatment she had to lose her hair which was "tough". For Sonali, her hair was a "source of pride" as she was known for her hair. However, she eventually realised that it was not a significant loss and she had to let go of that attachment.