To speak about celebrities who have been diagnosed with cancer isn’t about voyeurism. It isn’t even about adulation for particular celebrities. It is about trying to spread awareness about a deadly disease that can take so many different forms and which has continued to destroy lives and families unabated. Well known cine star and now TV personality Sonal Bendre was diagnosed with cancer recently. We recall other celebrities who have battled the disease.
This is the tweet Sonali Bendre put out; announcing that she had been diagnosed with cancer and that she was undergoing treatment. The tweet is sketchy on the details but it does mention that the cancer has matastasised and that there were few symptoms apart from some niggling pain. This means that the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. This indicates that the cancer is probably at a fairly advanced and difficult-to-cure stage. Bendre’s case also tells us that cancer can be insidious and dangerous in the way that it is often asymptomatic; arriving without warning.
She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2012. Ovarian cancer is known to be something of a silent killer because it displays few overt symptoms. Koirala managed to beat her disease however and not only returned to films playing Nargis Dutt in Sanju, but also works at spreading awareness of the disease and about surviving it.
The singer-actor was really popular in India when cable TV with its foreign soaps and MTV first made its appearance. In 2005 she was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 36. After surgery and chemo she managed to beat her disease. What is significant is that she has publicly discussed her disease widely which has not only spread awareness, but has also encouraged young women to have regular checks; something that doctors are calling the Kylie Effect.
Cricketer Yuvraj Singh was diagnosed with a cancerous tumour in his lung in 2011 and was forced to take a sabbatical from sports. After chemotherapy, he not only returned to international cricket but went on to become the most expensive player to be sold in the IPL and later also got married. His charity YouWeCan works towards providing cancer treatment for others.
The man who plays the invincible Hulk in Marvel films was discovered to have a brain tumour known as acoustic neuroma in 2000 when he was just 33. This was a benign tumour and the actor went on to make a near full recovery. However, he had temporary facial paralysis because of the tumour and also became deaf in one ear because of his tumour.
Though there are many inspiring stories about cancer survivors, there are many about cancers that have claimed lives as well. Swayze was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer in 2007; another type of cancer that is dangerous because it has few outer manifestations. For a while it seemed as though he was responding to the experimental treatment he was on. However, later it was clear that his cancer had metastasised too far to be cured. He died 20 months after his diagnosis. The fact that his heavy smoking habit likely led to his condition becomes a cautionary tale for others.
Early detection and a definitive diagnosis are the keys to surviving cancer. If the disease is detected in the early stages before it can invade other tissues and before it has been able to matastatise to other locations in the body, the chances of survival are good; particularly with swift and targeted treatment. Those who have a genetic predisposition to cancer and have had others in the family who have been diagnosed with cancer, should remain more vigilant about undergoing screenings and tests. Never ignore persistent, unexplained symptoms, fatigue or aches and pains that seem to have no reason.
Do you have something interesting you would like to share? Write to us at [email protected]
