A New Lease on Life
- Actor Jeff Bridges, 71, was spotted out and about in Los Angeles after just announcing that his lymphoma is in remission
- The fan favorite legend, star of cult “dude” film The Big Lebowski, was diagnosed with cancer last fall and had chemo to treat it.
- Adjusting to life post-cancer can be difficult at times; It’s important to not put to much pressure on yourself and listen to your body as you ease back into your daily activities, experts say.
“My cancer is in remission,” the Academy Award winner wrote earlier this month on his website. “The 9″ x 12″ mass has shrunk down to the size of a marble.” Bridges also suffered after contracting COVID in the midst of his cancer battle earlier this year. “COVID kicked my ass pretty good, but I’m double vaccinated and feeling much better now.”
Read MoreBridges broke the news of his cancer in October 2020 via social media. He announced his diagnosis saying, "I have a great team of doctors, and the prognosis is good." Luckily, they were right.
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“While I had moments of tremendous pain…getting close to the pearly gates, all in all, I felt happy and joyous most of the time,” he shared. “This brush with mortality has brought me a real gift life is brief and beautiful,” he continued. “Love is all around us and available at all times. It’s a matter of opening ourselves to receive the gift.”
Life After Cancer
After a cancer battle, many patients feel that they have a ‘do-over’ at life, and often tend to appreciate life and the “little things” even more. It’s important to not put too much pressure on yourself and listen to your body as you ease back into your daily activities.
For survivor Jovannie Lorenzo, getting through cancer treatment felt like getting a second chance at life. Jovannie was just 32 when she was diagnosed with colon cancer, and was a single mother to three young kids. To get through it, she put her faith in God … and she said facing her disease gave her the opportunity to really turn her life around.
"I do believe in being born again," Jovannie expressed to SurvivorNet, "and I feel like, after having had my cancer, for me … this was my second chance at life. This was my rebirth. This was my opportunity to try and get this life done right."
After Cancer, it Felt Like a Second Chance to Get This Life Done
Things are going to change after you've had cancerthat's part of the process. But it doesn't have to be a bad thing. After lymphoma survivor CC Webster was diagnosed at age 29, she was struck by the overwhelming anxiety she started to feel. "In life after cancer, I experienced an entirely new level of anxiety that I didn't know existed," CC says. "Earth shattering anxiety that makes you sweat, and makes your heart race. I had to learn how to manage myself in that, and how to allow myself to process the trauma that I had just been through."
CC says what finally got her back on her feet was facing her anxiety head-on. Eventually, she was able to walk away from her cancer journey with a new outlook on life.
Life After Cancer Will be Different, That Doesn't Have to be a Bad Thing
What is Lymphoma?
Lymphoma is a cancer of the immune system that begins in the white blood cells called lymphocytes. Bridges hasn't specified which type of lymphoma he has, and there are more than 40 different types. Hodgkin lymphoma and Non-Hodgkin lymphoma are the main two sub-categories with the latter being more common. The type of white blood cells linked to the disease determines the distinction. If doctors are unable to detect the Reed-Sternberg cell a giant cell derived from B lymphocytes then it is categorized as Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
RELATED: Finding Lymphoma EarlyDo you Know the Symptoms and Risks?
You might be at a higher risk for this cancer if you:
- Have been infected with the HIV or Epstein-Barr virus
- Had an organ transplant
- Have a family history of lymphoma
- Have been treated with radiation or chemotherapy drugs for cancer in the past
- Have an autoimmune disease
People with lymphoma do not always have symptoms, but common ones are:
- Swollen glands in your neck, armpit or groin
- Fever
- Chills
- Night sweats
- Unexplained weight loss
- Feeling tired
- Swelling in your stomach
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