Actor Sanyogita Bhave recalls cancer fight, 16 small nodes found in left breast

Marathi television actor Sanyogita Bhave has spoken openly about her battle with cancer. She became a familiar face in households through the serial "Lagnanantar Hoilach Prem". In an interview to the YouTube channel "Sonchafa Production", she spoke about her mother's cancer, her own diagnosis and the difficulties during treatment.

Bhave said her mother first had breast cancer and was later diagnosed with lymphoma. Sadly, her mother could not be saved. Her mother was everything to her, and the loss was a huge shock. She said, "My mother had breast cancer. After that she developed lymphoma. Unfortunately she could not be saved from this entire illness. My mother was everything to me. I simply could not bear her leaving me like this."

Because her mother had breast cancer, doctors had advised Bhave too to go for regular check-ups, and she kept getting tested from time to time. In March 2018 she felt a small lump. A fine needle test was done, which showed that the lump was not cancerous.

In January-February 2019 she began to feel several lumps in her left breast. She did not understand what was happening. On the doctors' advice she had a mammogram. The test showed a cluster in the breast with 16 small nodes. The fine needle test that followed came back positive and the cancer diagnosis was confirmed.

Bhave was deeply shaken by the diagnosis. Many questions rose in her mind: what would happen next, what the treatment would be like, what would happen to her work, and what the side effects of treatment would be. She also took the opinion of other doctors. A PET scan showed that the cancer had not spread elsewhere in the body, so doctors decided to operate immediately.

She also recounted an incident from the time of the surgery. Several people in the hospital had learnt that she was an actor in Marathi serials. Even in such difficult circumstances, some people came to have photographs taken with her, though her state of mind at the time was entirely different.

When she was put under anaesthesia for the operation, she began chanting Shri Ram's name. She did not even know when the operation took place. While regaining consciousness she kept saying, "I am fine, how are you?" After the operation she developed an infection, which added 20 days to the treatment.

Chemotherapy began after the surgery and the infection. She had to take six chemotherapy sessions in all, one after another at intervals of 21 days. After the first session, doctors advised a special diet: four eggs and dry fruits every day, and she was told to avoid raw foods.

Bhave was a vegetarian, so eating four eggs a day was a big challenge for her. But doctors had asked her to follow this diet to meet the body's protein needs during chemotherapy.

Throughout the treatment, doctors and nurses took special care of her. Doctors would also come to chat with her. At first nobody knew she was an actor. Later, when her identity came out, the hospital staff learnt about her.