Congress leader Sonia Gandhi has opened up about two major cancer scares and other serious health challenges in her newly released memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love. In a rare account of her medical history, she reveals that she underwent breast cancer surgery in 2010 and was diagnosed with a precancerous growth in her pancreas a year later. She also recalls collapsing during an election rally in Varanasi in 2016, breaking her shoulder and requiring another operation.
Two Cancer Scares
Sonia writes that her second term as Congress president during the UPA government’s tenure brought unexpected personal challenges. Apart from occasional asthma, allergies and stomach problems, she had not experienced any major health issues before then.
In 2010, doctors at Delhi’s Sir Ganga Ram Hospital advised her to undergo surgery for suspected breast cancer. Concerned about media attention and the loss of privacy, she decided against treatment at Mumbai’s Tata Memorial Hospital and instead travelled to the European Institute of Oncology near Milan.
Accompanied by Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Robert Vadra and her sisters Nadia and Anouchka, she underwent surgery under renowned surgeon Dr Umberto Veronesi.
She recalls that Rahul and Priyanka held her hand and kissed her forehead before she was wheeled into the operation theatre. Doctors removed two tumours and also performed intra-operative radiation, sparing her five weeks of radiotherapy.
Pancreatic Tumour Detected
A year later, a follow-up examination revealed another growth in her pancreas, leaving Sonia and her children shocked.
Doctors initially suspected a neuroendocrine tumour, which would have required a lengthy operation and hospital stay. She was subsequently treated at Erasmus University Medical Centre in Rotterdam by pancreatic surgeon Dr Casper van Eijck.
Sonia recalls fearing the worst, particularly the possibility that the growth could be metastatic. However, following surgery, the doctor informed her that the tumour was at an early precancerous stage and had been detected in time.
2016 Collapse
Another medical emergency occurred in August 2016 during an Assembly election rally in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
After spending nearly five hours travelling through crowds in a campaign convoy, Sonia collapsed and was flown to Delhi. She recalls drifting in and out of consciousness during the flight and having a vision of her late husband, Rajiv Gandhi, reaching out to her reassuringly.
Former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, who accompanied her, later told Sonia that she had suddenly smiled during the tense journey.
The fall left Sonia with a badly fractured shoulder, requiring another operation.
The 526-page memoir, published by HarperCollins India, also traces her childhood in post-war Italy, marriage into the Nehru-Gandhi family, Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination and her eventual entry into politics.
Also Read: ‘Bahurani’ And ‘Chhoti Bahurani’: Sonia Gandhi Opens Up About Tensions With Maneka In New Memoir
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