If you ever feel low or directionless in life, Sonali Bendre's Instagram account is where you must head. The actress who was diagnosed with metastatic cancer in July this year has been battling the disease with every ounce of positivity that one can possess.
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¡°I knew that if I allowed fear to overtake me, my journey was doomed. Fear, to a great extent, is born of a story we tell ourselves, and so I chose to tell myself a different story from the one women are told. I decided I was safe. I was strong. I was brave. Nothing could vanquish me.¡± ¨C Cheryl Strayed, Wild. Over the past couple of months, I have had good days and bad ones. There have been days when I¡¯ve been so exhausted and in so much pain that even lifting a finger hurt. I feel like sometimes it¡¯s a cycle¡ one that starts off with physical pain and leads to mental and emotional pain. The bad days have been many¡ Post chemo, post-surgery and the like¡ where even just laughing hurts. Sometimes it felt like it took everything I¡¯ve had to push past it¡ a minute to minute battle with myself. I got through it knowing that even though I was fighting a long drawn out, draining battle¡ it was one that was worth the fight. It¡¯s important to remember that we¡¯re allowed to have those bad days. Forcing yourself to be happy and cheerful all the time serves no purpose. Who are we being fake and putting on an act for? I allowed myself to cry, to feel the pain, to indulge in self-pity¡ for a short while. Only you know what you¡¯re going through and it is fine to accept it. Emotions aren¡¯t wrong. Feeling negative emotions isn¡¯t wrong. But after a point, identify it, recognize it and refuse to let it control your life. It takes an immense amount of self-care to get out of that zone. Sleep always helps, or having my favourite smoothie after chemo, or just talking to my son. For now, as my treatment continues¡ my visual focus remains to just get better and get back home. It¡¯s yet another test¡ Student all my life¡ Learning all my life¡ #OneDayAtATime ?: @srishtibehlarya
A post shared by Sonali Bendre (@iamsonalibendre) on Oct 8, 2018 at 11:19pm PDT
From sending out messages across embracing your own self in every condition to teaching a thing or two about self-love, Bendre's philosophies in life will never make you feel lonely or depressed.
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In the words of my favourite author Isabel Allende, ¡°We don't even know how strong we are until we are forced to bring that hidden strength forward. In times of tragedy, of war, of necessity, people do amazing things. The human capacity for survival and renewal is awesome.¡± The outpouring of love I¡¯ve received in the last few days has been so overwhelming¡ and I¡¯m especially grateful to those of you who shared stories of your experiences in dealing with cancer, whether it was your own or of loved ones. Your stories have given me an extra dosage of strength and courage, and more importantly, the knowledge that I¡¯m not alone. Each day comes with its own challenges and victories and so for now, I¡¯m taking this #OneDayAtATime. The only thing I¡¯m trying to be consistent about is maintaining a positive outlook... literally #SwitchOnTheSunshine - it¡¯s my way of dealing with this. Sharing my journey is also part of this process... I can only hope it reminds you that all is not lost and that someone, somewhere understands what you¡¯re going through. ?? Thank you @tomoarakawa for making this a chic transition from long to short!
A post shared by Sonali Bendre (@iamsonalibendre) on Jul 10, 2018 at 12:20am PDT
Sonali has been in New York for months and her friends and family are taking every necessary step to ensure that she gets all the support she needs. For the festival of Diwali, her husband Goldie Behl and son Ranveer reached New York to be with her.
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From the moment he was born 12 years, 11 months and 8 days ago, my amazing @rockbehl took ownership of my heart. From then on, his happiness and wellbeing have been the centre of anything @goldiebehl and I ever did. And so, when the Big C reared its ugly head, our biggest dilemma was what and how we were going to tell him. As much as we wanted to protect him, we knew it was important to tell him the full facts. We¡¯ve always been open and honest with him and this time it wasn¡¯t going to be different. He took the news so maturely¡ and instantly became a source of strength and positivity for me. In some situations now, he even reverses roles and takes on being the parent, reminding me of things I need to do! I believe that it¡¯s imperative to keep kids involved in a situation like this. They are a lot more resilient than we give them credit for. It¡¯s important to spend time with them and include them, rather than make them wait on the side-lines, not being told yet instinctively knowing everything. In our effort to protect them from the pain and realities of life, we might end up doing the opposite. I¡¯m spending time with Ranveer right now, while he¡¯s on summer vacation. His madness and shenanigans help me #SwitchOnTheSunshine. And today, we derive strength from each other #OneDayAtATime
A post shared by Sonali Bendre (@iamsonalibendre) on Jul 18, 2018 at 11:29pm PDT
Even though her celebrations were low-key but they for sure were perfect. She posted images of her lighting candles and offering prayers with her family. Mentioning her unconventional celebrations, she wrote,
"It was quite an unconventional one... We didn't have Indian clothes, we had a small puja... But it was all heart."
Last week, Sonali and Neetu Kapoor also made a rare appearance together at Priyanka Chopra's bridal shower.
When life hits rock-bottom, being positive is all that it takes to be sane and happy and Sonali's struggle and journey throughout cancer proves just that!
