Congress leader Sonia Gandhi spoke in detail in her memoir about how she battled cancer, twice. From the diagnosis to her fears of a "scary outcome", Sonia revealed her health concerns and reasons why she decided to go abroad for treatment despite "full confidence" in doctors at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi.
In her memoir, 'Belonging: A Journey of Love', Sonia recalled undergoing surgery for breast cancer in 2010 and how her children Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi held her hands as she was wheeled into the operation theatre.
“Our second UPA term brought me some personal challenges. Apart from occasional bouts of asthma and allergies, I'd had no serious health troubles until then. As my doctors pointed out, stress is one of the main causes of stomach disorders, and, sure enough, these became frequent and worsened as I grew older and got drawn into politics myself,” she wrote in her book.
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“Then in 2010 a more serious problem arose: I was advised an operation for suspected breast cancer,” she further wrote.
She reportedly also revealed that following her surgery, another growth was detected in her pancreas during a follow-up test.
Why Sonia Gandhi chose to go abroad for treatment
The Congress MP said that she was not comfortable with her cancer diagnosis getting attention in the media and hence chose to go abroad for her treatment despite confidence in doctors at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.
{{/usCountry}}The Congress MP said that she was not comfortable with her cancer diagnosis getting attention in the media and hence chose to go abroad for her treatment despite confidence in doctors at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.
{{/usCountry}}"Still, I felt shaken and worried; there was no time to lose, my children and I were told, and my mind began to race to a possible scary outcome," Sonia wrote.
“I had always sought to keep my personal space private, and the thought of my illness being discussed in the media was painful to me, even infuriating. True, I had become a public figure, but did that mean I wasn't to be allowed even a modicum of privacy?” she asked.
She received treatment at the European Institute of Oncology outside Milan, Italy.
‘Rahul, Priyanka held my hand’
Sonia was accompanied by one senior officer, her childern Rahul, Priyanka and her husband Robert Vadra, and her sisters Nadia and Anouchka on the day of the procedure.
"On the day of the surgery, as I was wheeled into the operation theatre, Rahul and Priyanka held my hand and kissed me on the forehead, assuring me that all would be well.
She said that two tumours, including a non-suspicious one, were removed during the surgery and doctors conducted an intra-operative radiation to “spare me five weeks of radiotherapy.”
She further revealed that her another growth was detected in her pancreas during a follow-up test, and she was referred to the Erasmus University Medical Centre in Rotterdam. “My mind began to dwell on a worst-case scenario. What if it turned out to be a metastatic growth? Would I come through it? Would I need to undergo chemotherapy? How long would I have to be away from home and work? I had felt unhappy leaving without notice to any but the prime minister and a few senior colleagues,” she wrote.
The doctor later explained to her that the tumour was found to be in a preliminary precancerous stage, she said.