Sonali Bendre on sharing her cancer journey: “I did not want speculation & pity”

Sonali Bendre has always been very open about her battle with cancer and in a recent interview she recently revealed why sharing her journey was important to her.

In a conversation with Harper’s Bazaar, Bendre shared that she wanted to control the narrative surrounding her illness, “I did not want speculation and pity. I framed it, made sure my family, including my 12-year-old son, read every word. I had not planned to continue posting about it, but the responses were overwhelming.”

Seeing how much her story has resonated with her followers, Bendre has decided to keep narrating her highs and lows on social media as she undergoes treatment, “I post only when I know I have something concrete to say about an emotion that I have understood or an incident that revealed something to me.”

Through her posts, she hopes to encourage other cancer patients to focus on healing and never lose hope, “I have started listening to my body more attentively now. And it is a new normal, a new journey. I tell women who have gone through cancer that healing from it requires receiving care, receiving support, letting friends and family rally around us. It is time to receive.”