Sonali Bendre is a strong girl, ready to get back to normal life, says Namrata Shirodkar

Two of Bollywood’s A-listers, Sonali Bendre and Rishi Kapoor, are currently in New York getting treated for their respective ailments. While the nature of Rishi’s illness is still not known, Sonali is getting treated for cancer. Many from Bollywood have been turning up in the Big Apple and meeting Sonali to boost her morale. Among the Bollywood stars who have met her over the last four months are Priyanka Chopra, Anupam Kher, Sussanne Khan and Neetu Singh. The actor herself is putting up a pitched battle against the dreaded disease. Now, former Bollywood actor Namrata Shirodkar has met the actor and is all praises for Sonali.

Speaking to Deccan Chronicle, Namrata said that Sonali was a brave girl and appreciated her undying spirit. “She is a strong girl. She looks amazingly fit and ready to get back to normal life. I had such a lovely time with her. We discussed so many things. She told me the entire story of her illness and what gives her the strength, and I told her that she’s always in my prayers.”

Namrata is currently in the US on a vacation with her husband Telugu superstar Mahesh Babu and her two kids, Gautham and Sitara. Namrata added that the two of them shared a deep bond and that they were “typically Maharashtrian in so many ways” and that they “laughed about some shared recollections of the past”.

Meanwhile, Sonali made it to Priyanka’s bridal shower held at New York’s Tiffany & Co. Blue Box Cafe. Looking lovely in a bright red dress and a wig, Sonali was a picture of courage under fire. A while back, Sonali also attended a show by veteran Sarod player Amjad Ali Khan and his sons, Amaan and Ayaan.

 

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Nothing like music to heal and feed the soul 🎶 Thank you @aaksarod, @amaanalibangash & @ayaanalibangash for a wonderful evening… Missed you @goldiebehl, you would have loved it! 🤗 @refugeeorchestraproject #UNDay

 

 

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Lovly evening at Tiffany’s #priyankabridalshower @iamsonalibendre ❤️🤗

 

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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.” – 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

 

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Sometimes, when you least expect it, life throws you a curveball. I have recently been diagnosed with a high grade cancer that has metastised, which we frankly did not see coming. A niggling pain led to some tests, which led to this unexpected diagnosis. My family and close friends have rallied around me, providing the best support system that anyone can ask for. I am very blessed and thankful for each of them. There is no better way to tackle this, than to take swift and immediate action. And so, as advised by my doctors, I am currently undergoing a course of treatment in New York. We remain optimistic and I am determined to fight every step of the way. What has helped has been the immense outpouring of love and support I’ve received over the past few days, for which I am very grateful. I’m taking this battle head on, knowing I have the strength of my family and friends behind me.

In early July this year, Sonali shared with the world that she had been diagnosed with cancer, one that has metastised and that she would be undergoing treatment in New York. Sonali keeps updating her fans about her struggle and in early October, sharing a bald picture of hers, she had written how “there have been days when I’ve been so exhausted and in so much pain that even lifting a finger hurt”.