Celebrities Who Survived Cancer: These Success Stories Will Inspire You

It's not easy to handle the news of being diagnosed with a deadly disease like cancer. What worries patients besides the health condition itself include treatment, cost involved and chances of survival.

Battling cancer can be an arduous affair, not just physically but also mentally. While a few give up in their fight against cancer, we do have success stories that serve as inspiration to never give up on life so easily.

A recent case in point is that of Bollywood actress Sonali Bendre who came out in the open about being diagnosed with cancer. In her note to fans, she clearly said that she is a fighter and will take on the disease head-on. Likewise there have been several others who have survived cancer with their will power.

Here is a list of celebrities who successfully took on cancer and survived too.

Celebrities Who Survived Cancer

1. Manisha Koirala

The actress who became a household name after hit movies like Roja, Bombay and Dil Se was diagnosed with Ovarian cancer in 2012. She underwent several surgeries and got herself treated for a couple of months in New York. The news of actress battling with cancer had grabbed headlines after she shared some of her pictures from her chemo therapy sessions.

2. Yuvraj Singh

The Indian cricketer learnt about being inflicted by the disease in 2012 despite which he delivered a marvelous performance in World Cup 2011. The news saddened the cricket fans when they learnt that Yuvraj was diagnosed with a cancerous tumour in his left lung. He took a break from the cricket and underwent chemo sessions in the US. He then returned to India after a few months and wrote a book The Test of My Life : From Cricket to Cancer and Back.

3. Lisa Ray

Lisa is a Canadian actress who made her Indian film debut in 1994 with a Tamil movie. She was diagnosed with multiple myeloma (a cancer of plasma cells) in 2009. After getting cured, Lisa started a blog The Yellow Diaries where she shared her experience battling the deadly disease. She also took part in several cancer awareness programmes in Canada.

4. Mamta Mohandas

The crowning irony was that the actress made her acting debut as a cancer patient in a film. She was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma that affects the lymph nodes in 2010. It was in the same year that she received Filmfare award in the best actress category. After fews years of treatment, Mamta finally came out successful in 2015.

5. Gauthami

Yesteryear actress Gauthami, who has appeared in Kannada, Tamil and Telugu films struggled with breast cancer while she was at the peak of her career. She overcame the disease with grit, Now, the actress is actively taking part in breast cancer awareness programmes.

6. Irfan Khan

Khan was recently diagnosed with Neuroendocrine Cancer which is very rare. The actor is still recovering from the disease and will be seen in his upcoming movie Karwaan which also features Dulquer Salmaan. The actor took to microblogging site Twitter to share the news.

7. Anurag Basu

Famous director Anurag Basu who is best known for his movies like Gangster, Life in a Metro was diagnosed with blood cancer. After two months of treatment, Basu made a comeback with Bollywood hit film Jagga Jasoos.

8. Barbara Mori

Barbara who starred opposite Hrithik Roshan in Kites is also a cancer survivor. The actress had shot the film during her cancer sessions. It was at the same time the director Anurag too was diagnosed with it. The duo would share their experience on the sets, it is learnt. However, she finally emerged a winner.

These actors who survived cancer have inspired other victims who have fallen prey to this deadly disease. With their strength and determination, they have battled cancer and emerged victorious. There are also few actors who lost their life aftwer being hit by the disease as they realized it only in the end stage.

Read: Happy Cancer Patients Have Better Chances of Survival

Vinod Khanna, Akkineni Nageshwar Rao, Nargis Dutt, Rajesh Khanna and several others were said to have suffered cancer.

So, the moral of the story is never to lose up and keep an eye on your body for any changes. After all, it's better to be safe than sorry isn't it? Stay positive, look up for inspiration and these success stories always motivate you to beat odds. Do you have a story to share too? Feel free to write in the comments section below. Let's help those diagnosed with cancer to fight the disease.