As we approach World Cancer Day tomorrow, look no further than these celebrities who have not only fought the disease but also shown the way to others

Sheetal

It is the worst feeling to be told one day that one has cancer, and when celebs are involved the news spreads like wildfire. But many of them have not only won their battle against the deadly disease, but also shared their ‘battle against cancer’ stories to motivate others. From Anurag Basu talking candidly about if in a chat show to Manisha Koirala writing a book, here is knowing a few.

Family man

Actor Sanjay Dutt’s life was made into a biopic Sanju. And just after he got back into films as well as family life with wife Manyata Dutt and twins, Shahraan and Iqra, he got diagnosed with Stage 4 lung cancer (August 2020). Recently, on January 13, the actor opened up about it at an event alongside his doctor Dr Sewanti Limaye. He said, “I have a history of cancer in my family. My mom died of pancreatic cancer, and my wife (Richa Sharma) died of brain cancer. So, the first thing I said was that, I don’t want to take chemotherapy. If I’m supposed to die, I will just die but I don’t want any treatment.” And the actor confessed how he undertook chemotherapy for the sake of his family.

Book story

Manisha Koirala recovered from Stage 4 Ovarian cancer and travelled to the US for treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering. The actress, who called cancer the metaphor for all that was wrong in her life, authored a book with Neelam Kumar titled Healed: How Cancer Gave Me A New Life. In the same way, cricketer Yuvraaj Singh narrated his battle with cancer in The Test of My Life: From Cricketer to Cancer and Back the autobiography written along with Nishant Jeet Arora and Sharda Ugra.

Sharing is caring

Sonali Bendre was diagnosed with metastatic cancer in 2018 and underwent treatment for the same. She never shied away from sharing pictures from her hair-loss journey because of chemotherapy, and also disclosed the books that inspired her to survive cancer. About two months back in December, 2022, Sonali posted pictures where she is seen practicing yoga and wrote, “A much needed, reviving yoga session with the one and only @eddiestern… Thank you Eddie for doing this with us… surrounded by the beach, with like-minded friends…”

Looking back

Model-actress Lisa Ray has also been quite vocal about her treatment, recovery and post recovery feelings. Actress Chhavi Mittal, who survived breast cancer, recently shared a picture with stitch marks on her back. She wrote, “This is what I earned this year. A new life. A better one. A stronger one.”

Being brave

Director and producer Tahira Kashyap in October, 2022, shared the stage with American psychiatrist Dr Robert Waldinger at ‘The Circle of Happiness’, where she spoke about surviving breast cancer. She said, “I did have breast cancer. But I cannot say that my problem is bigger than someone who’s having a financial problem or a relationship problem. Problems aren’t bigger or smaller, it all depends upon one’s life state. If a person’s life state is strong, they can brave any situation.” While she had mentioned about her run-in with cancer in her book The 12 Commandments Of Being A Woman, there’s another audiobook, My Ex Breast, a seven-episode series from Audible Suno, in which she takes you on an intimate journey through a mad storm called breast cancer.