Sonia Gandhi's memoirs, published on Tuesday, officially acknowledge for the first time what has long been whispered in political circles but never spoken about publicly—her battle with cancer. This illness worsened during the second term of the UPA government.
Before 2010, Sonia experienced only episodic problems with asthma and allergies, but serious health issues began during this period when she was advised to undergo surgery due to suspected breast cancer. She decided not to have the operation in India to avoid media attention.
In her recollections, she describes the moment she saw Rajiv smiling at her. Rahul and Priyanka held her hand and kissed her forehead, assuring her that everything would be fine. After this, while still under anesthesia, she saw Dr. Veronesi by her bedside.
She felt immense relief upon hearing his statement: 'Non c’è niente da preoccuparsi, tutto è andato bene e non ci sono residui' (There is nothing to worry about, everything went well and there are no residues). He removed two tumors, including one that did not raise suspicion, as a precaution, and performed intraoperative radiation to avoid five weeks of radiotherapy.
