Manisha Koirala on her battle with cancer

She was diagnosed with stage three ovarian cancer in 2012

By ANI

Published: Wed 6 Nov 2024, 2:44 PM

Last updated: Wed 6 Nov 2024, 2:45 PM

Manisha Koirala faced one of the toughest battles of her life when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2012.

Recently, the actress opened up about her journey with cancer and how she overcame it.

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She told ANI about how she first learned about her diagnosis. "In 2012 I was diagnosed and I had no clue that it was the last stage of ovarian cancer. And when I was diagnosed in Nepal, I was very fearful, obviously, like everybody else, extremely. We were in Jaslok Hospital. There also, when the doctors came, the two, three doctors, the top doctors, and I spoke to them, I felt I was going to die. And I felt this was the end of me," she said.

"We knew some two, three known people, figures, we knew that they had gone to New York and done the treatment. And my grandfather also had gone to Sloan Kettering and done the treatment," she added.

The actress spent around five to six months in New York for treatment. She spoke about her successful 11-hour operation and how the doctors were kind to her family and also shared how she responded well to chemotherapy.

"My mother had taken Rudraksha from Nepal by worshipping Mahamrityunjaya and had given it to the doctor to keep it with him. So somehow, I don't know how he kept it, but he managed to keep it with him, and after 11 hours of operation, he said that this mala has done wonders," she said.

"I also started responding very well to chemo. He introduced me to Vicky Makker, who is half Punjabi and American, Punjabi American. And so she basically started treating me and she gave me a lot of hope," Koirala said.

"There were a lot of times I remember I would break down and I would see only darkness... hopelessness and pain and fear. And she's the one who kept on saying, 'Manisha you're doing well. You know, your medicine is working on you,'" she added.

Looking back, Koirala spoke about how surviving cancer made her reflect more on her career. She decided that if she got a "second chance" at life, she would give her best to her work, and Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar did that for her.

"I knew one thing, if I got a second chance at life, I had to go and fix the score because life gave me so much. And I felt I was the one who ruined everything. So I wanted to correct that mistake. I felt responsible towards my work... because there were so many fans I had disappointed by doing bad films," she said.

"I prayed that if I got a second chance, I really wanted to do the best that I could and not disappoint my fans. So I felt Heeramandi was that for me. I really put my every effort into that," she added.

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