The Power of Music & Art Through Adversity
- Actress and singer Sarah Chase, 41, has taken a medical leave of absence from her work in “The Great Gatsby” musical on Broadway as she’s finishing up treatment for fallopian tube cancer.
- Despite being diagnosed with cancer at the start of rehearsals, the Broadway star was able to have a full hysterectomy and undergo some rounds of chemo without telling people in work place. She ultimately informed her coworkers and fans, and is now taking time to finish up treatment and heal before returning to work.
- Learning how to express yourself during difficult times can be empowering and purifying. We admire Chase for being able to continue doing what she loves and having the ability to look forward to performing once she finishes up her chemotherapy treatments.
- During a cancer battle, or after, patients may turn to artistic outlets, which could range from singing and dancing to painting and crafting, to assist them in coping amid their fight.
- According to MD Anderson Cancer Center, fallopian tube cancer often forms in the cells that line the inner part of the fallopian tubes, which are the two small passageways that connect the ovaries to the uterus. A woman’s ovaries (prior to menopause) produce eggs which travel through the fallopian tubes to the uterus.
Chase was first diagnosed with cancer in her fallopian tubes during her second week of “Gatsby” rehearsals, something she initially kept hidden from her fellow performers. However, she ultimately was informed she’d need to undergo a full hysterectomy and six rounds of chemotherapy.
Read MoreIn a recent Instagram post, she explained that her medical leave would last until August 27, when she’s done with her chemotherapy treatments, admitting it was one of the “hardest decisions” she’s had to make.View this post on Instagram
“I’ve had to make. I gave it my all for as long as I could, but now it’s time to just focus on healing and recovery. I will miss the cast, the crew, the audience, and everyone at the Broadway Theater tremendously.”
In another post, pinned to the top of her Instagram page on July 10, Chase explained further, “Hi, I just want to catch up new followers and old who are unclear about yesterday’s wording in the press release regarding my “medical absence” from Gatsby,
“I was diagnosed with early stage fallopian tub cancer my second week of Gatsby rehearsals. I kept this from work and secretly had a full hysterectomy, oophorectomy, and cervix removal the first day of tech and was back on stage three days later.”
Chase said she begin six rounds of chemotherapy the week after the show’s opening, revealing she continued doing the show and also recorded the show’s album.
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“I came out publicly with this information in May. I am finishing two more rounds of chemo and hope to be back very soon,” she concluded.
View this post on Instagram
A few days later, Chase shared another post, informing her fans she “finally” stepped out of her home and went to “Manhattan’s oldest landmark to recreate George Washington’s 1790 Cabinet dinner at the @morrisjumel mansion.”
We’re happy to see Chase continuing to enjoy life during such an emotional time in her life. She also offered fans some insight into how she’s using a cold cap device to preserve her hair while undergoing cancer treatment.
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Alongside a video of her prepping for cold capping, Chase wrote, “Cold capping is a treatment that can sometimes dramatically reduce chemotherapy induced hair loss. https://hairtostay.org/ is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to helping low-income cancer patients afford scalp cooling.”
In the footage she showed her fans what it’s like to put on a cold cap, first putting her hair in the sink to wet it and then brushing it, so the cap can touch “as much of her scalp as possible.”
Before having someone help her put the cap on she put in a hair prep serum, which she said is to help the cap easily slide on and off. At the end of the footage she dubbed herself the “cap queen,” appearing to be in good spirits prior to her chemo treatment.
View this post on Instagram
Art Through Cancer & The Importance of Doing What You Love
Alongside treatment or after beating cancer some people may turn to various artistic outlets (i.e. singing, dancing, painting, crafting) to help them cope with their cancer journey. Luckily in Chase’s case, her avocation of performing is also her vocation.
RELATED: How I Made It Through Cancer: Painting & Dreaming
Others may also art to handle feelings of grief after suffering a cancer-related loss. Whenever and however you turn to art, in whatever form it may be, its healing benefits in terms of mental health are well-documented and substantiated.
In fact, Very Well Mind reports that a 2016 study published in the Journal of the American Art Therapy Association says that less than an hour of creative activity can reduce stress and have a positive effect on your mental health. And that’s true regardless of artistic experience or talent, the author notes.
Meanwhile, Marianne Cuozzo, a three-time cancer survivor, can also attest to the power of art. And despite the fact that cancer has essentially been her whole life, Cuozzo has recognized herself as a lot more than a diagnosis by focusing on her life as a mother and an artist.
Three-Time Cancer survivor Marianna Cuozzo On How Art Helps Her Express Herself
Cuozzo was first diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 1994 at the age of 28. In 1997, she had a recurrence, and then she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014. She had a double mastectomy and originally got implants with reconstruction.
But after years of infections, she decided to remove her implants and “go flat.” Her artwork reflects a deeply personal exploration of body image and sexuality. In a previous interview with SurvivorNet, Cuozzo tells us how she found comfort expressing herself through her work.
Cuozzo added, “My artwork is very reflective of my cancer journey. I’m doing the best I can to feel beautiful in this new body.”
Remember, experts recommend you try to take some time out of your day a few times a week and really enjoy those special pockets of joy.
“We know from good studies that emotional health is associated with survival, meaning better quality of life is associated with better outcomes,” Dr. Dana Chase, a gynecologic oncologist at Arizona Oncology, previously told SurvivorNet.
“So working on your emotional health, your physical well-being, your social environment [and] your emotional well-being are important and can impact your survival. If that’s related to what activities you do that bring you joy, then you should try to do more of those activities.”
Understanding Fallopian Tube Cancer
According to MD Anderson Cancer Center, fallopian tube cancer often forms in the cells that line the inner part of the fallopian tubes, which are the two small passageways that connect the ovaries to the uterus. A woman’s ovaries (prior to menopause) produce eggs which travel through the fallopian tubes to the uterus.
“The main type of primary fallopian tube cancer is high grade serous adenocarcinoma. These cancers start in the cells lining the fallopian tubes,” MD Anderson Cancer Center explains.
“Primary fallopian tube cancers are often indistinguishable from primary ovarian cancers because women present at very advanced stages. In fact, studies have demonstrated that most high grade serous ovarian cancers likely arose from fallopian tube epithelium.”
Risk factors for fallopian tube cancer may include:
- Women can be diagnosed with this type of cancer at any age, however, it’s often found in women between the ages of 60 to 66
- Family history of fallopian tube or ovarian cancer
- Gene mutations (like the BRCA gene mutations, particularly BRCA1, and Lynch syndrome
- The more children a woman has, the higher her risk
How to Have That Hard Conversation With Your Workplace
“The analogy of putting on your seat belt before anyone else rings true when deciding how to prioritize your physical health in the workplace,” Dr. Marianna Strongin, a licensed clinical psychologist and founder of Strong In Therapy Psychology, tells SurvivorNet.
“We must attend to our physical body in order to have room for our career and work. Since work will not heal us, our time and energy should be focused on ways to heal.”
Strongin’s message is one we often forget; we tend to get wrapped up in the day-to-day operations of our jobs. “It’s OK to skip that routine doctor’s appointment because I have a meeting later,” you might think to yourself, “I’ll just go next week.” But this can turn into a damaging mindset; putting your work before health won’t create a sustainable lifestyle for your future.
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“In order to have a fulfilling and successful career, we must feel healthy and sturdy both physically and mentally,” Strongin says. These two go hand-in-hand.
Therefore, when faced with an illness that impacts your work life or the life of a loved one, Strongin says, it’s absolutely critical to communicate this to your workplace.
“I suggest communicating your worries, and also facts about your illness, so that the proper assistance is created to support you. In order to give your physical health the attention it needs and deserves, one must take the pressures of work off their plate so that they can attend to their health without worrying about the repercussions.”
“Most importantly, I suggest you create space and room to heal,” Strongin adds. “If you find that you have the motivation and energy to incorporate work into your healing journey, it will be important to keep a healthy balance always checking in on your needs and wants.”
For some, working has the power to keep their mind sharp and allows them to have “normalcy” in their life. For instance, two high-powered female executives one at Facebook and the other at Google battled cancer, and they say the fight helped inspire their work. (Nicola Mendelsohn of Facebook and Ruth Porat of Google are two of the most powerful women in the tech field.) But not everyone is like this.
However, Strongin adds, “it will be up to you to decide on what feels most helpful for you. Just remember, there’s no right way to balance an illness and your career. It feels hard because it is hard.”
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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