Irrfan Khan writes open letter about his illness, two months later

'Hindi Medium' star acknowledged his fans and well-wishers who have been praying for him

In April this year, Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan made headlines for suffering from a life-threatening illness. While some tabloids reported the Hindi Medium star had been diagnosed with a 'rare disease' and was on his death bed, others shared he was on the road to recovery and was undergoing treatment in the United Kingdom.

PHOTO: HUFFINFTON POST

Putting all speculations to rest, Khan finally opened up about his ailment in an open letter to Bombay Times. "It’s been quite some time now since I have been diagnosed with a high-grade neuroendocrine cancer. This new name in my vocabulary, I got to know, was rare, and due to fewer study cases, and less information comparatively, the unpredictability of the treatment was more. I was part of a trial-and-error game," Khan wrote.



Similar to any other individual, Khan had many plans, dreams and aspirations too. However, life's unpredictability made him realise how "you are just a cork floating in the ocean with unpredictable currents. And, you are desperately trying to control it."

PHOTO: QUIRKYBYTE

It was only after his first visit to the hospital that Khan understood "between the game of life and the game of death, there is just a road." He continued, "As I was entering the hospital, drained, exhausted, listless, I hardly realised my hospital was on the opposite side of Lord’s, the stadium. The Mecca of my childhood dream. Amidst the pain, I saw a poster of a smiling Vivian Richards. Nothing happened, as if that world didn’t ever belong to me." It was the peculiarity of the location of the hospital that made Khan believe that he had to play his game better.



"This realisation made me submit, surrender and trust, irrespective of the outcome, irrespective of where this takes me, eight months from now, or four months from now, or two years. The concerns took a back seat and started to fade and kind of went out of my mindspace."

Through this experience, Khan finally felt what 'freedom' really means and it was like an accomplishment to him - as though he was tasting the "magical side" of life for the first time. "Time will tell if it stays, but that is how I feel as of now."

PHOTO: EASTERN EYE

Towards the end of his letter, Khan acknowledged his fans and well-wishers who have been praying for him. "People I know, people I don’t even know. They were praying from different places, different time zones, and I feel all their prayers become ONE. One big force, like a force of current, which got inside me through the end of my spine and has germinated through the crown of my head."

We wish the Bollywood star a speedy recovery and cannot wait to see him on the big screen again!

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