For much of her political career, Sonia Gandhi kept her personal health matters away from public scrutiny. However, her newly released memoir, Belonging: A Journey of Love, offers an unusually candid account of the medical emergencies that unfolded even as she remained at the centre of Indian politics.

The Congress leader recounts how a breast cancer diagnosis in 2010 was followed by the discovery of an abnormal growth in her pancreas in 2011. She also describes a separate medical emergency during a roadshow in Varanasi in August 2016, which left her with a severely fractured shoulder and required another surgery.

The revelations provide a glimpse into the personal difficulties that accompanied some of the most demanding years of her public life.

Breast cancer diagnosis led to surgery in Italy

Gandhi writes that before 2010, her health concerns were largely limited to occasional asthma attacks, allergies and gastrointestinal problems. However, she noticed that her stomach-related ailments became more frequent as she grew older and took on greater political responsibilities.

Reflecting on her second term in government under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), she acknowledged that the pressures of politics had coincided with a deterioration in her health.

In 2010, doctors at Delhi's Sir Ganga Ram Hospital advised her to undergo surgery after suspecting breast cancer. Although she trusted her medical team, the possibility of a serious diagnosis left her deeply anxious.

Gandhi was particularly concerned about the consequences for her children and the uncertainty surrounding her condition.

She also wanted to avoid the intense media scrutiny that could accompany news of her illness. Although treatment at Mumbai's Tata Memorial Hospital was considered, she eventually chose the European Institute of Oncology near Milan, Italy, for the operation.

Her decision, she explains, was driven largely by her desire to protect her medical privacy rather than have her health become a subject of public debate.

Gandhi travelled to Italy with her children Rahul and Priyanka, Priyanka's husband Robert Vadra, her sisters Nadia and Anouchka, and a senior official. The procedure was conducted under the supervision of renowned surgeon Dr Umberto Veronesi.

In an emotional recollection, she describes Rahul and Priyanka holding her hand and kissing her forehead as she was taken into the operating theatre.

Doctors removed two tumours during the procedure, including one that had not initially raised suspicion but was taken out as a precaution. She also underwent intra-operative radiation therapy, which helped her avoid an additional five-week course of radiotherapy.

Pancreatic growth triggered another cancer scare in 2011

The relief following her breast cancer operation was short-lived. During a medical follow-up in 2011, doctors identified another growth in her pancreas.

The discovery immediately raised concerns that the earlier cancer might have returned. After several medical consultations, doctors recommended that she undergo surgery without delay.

Initially, there were suspicions that the growth could be a neuroendocrine tumour, a possibility that would have involved a complicated operation and an extended hospital stay.

Gandhi was subsequently referred to Erasmus University Medical Centre in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, where pancreatic surgeon Dr Casper van Fijck handled her treatment.

Unlike her earlier medical trip, Gandhi kept this journey largely confidential. She informed then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and a handful of senior colleagues before leaving for the Netherlands.

The uncertainty surrounding the diagnosis continued to trouble her. She writes that doctors could determine the actual nature and extent of the growth only after operating, leaving her worried about the possibility of metastatic disease.

The eventual assessment brought considerable relief. The tumour had been detected early and was found to be in a preliminary precancerous stage, according to the surgeon.

Gandhi describes the early detection as a stroke of good fortune, particularly given the fears she and her family had initially faced.

Varanasi rally collapse in 2016 left her with broken shoulder

Her memoir also revisits a dramatic episode from August 2016, when she collapsed during a Congress roadshow in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.

The rally had drawn large crowds, with supporters lining the route and raising slogans. However, the extended road journey lasted close to five hours, leaving Gandhi increasingly exhausted.

She eventually collapsed and had to be flown to Delhi for medical attention.

One of the most personal passages in the memoir describes what Gandhi experienced during the flight. As she drifted in and out of consciousness, she recalls seeing her late husband, former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, approaching her with a reassuring smile.

Former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, who accompanied her during the flight, later told Gandhi that she had noticed her suddenly smiling despite the tense circumstances.

Gandhi believes the smile coincided with the vision of her husband that she experienced while semi-conscious.

The incident, however, had serious physical consequences. She had sustained a severe shoulder fracture in the fall and subsequently required another operation.

Memoir traces journey from Italy to Indian politics

Titled Belonging: A Journey of Love, Gandhi's 526-page memoir has been published by HarperCollins India and was released on Tuesday. She is set to turn 80 next month.

The book traces her journey from her childhood in post-war Italy to her marriage into the Nehru-Gandhi family and her eventual emergence as one of India's most influential political figures.

It also revisits the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, the personal loss that reshaped her life, and her subsequent entry into active politics.

Beyond its account of political events, the memoir sheds light on the private struggles that unfolded alongside her public responsibilities. Her recollections of cancer treatment, the pancreatic tumour and the Varanasi collapse offer a rare insight into the personal costs of a life spent in the political spotlight.