“Dharma & Greg” Star Susan Sullivan, 81, Says It’s An ‘Enormous Blessing’ To Be Cancer Free After Lung Cancer Surgery— How She Stayed Positive Through Adversity

Sullivan underwent surgery on Oct. 11 at Surgery was scheduled for Oct. 11 at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles. Doctors ultimately removed the upper lobe of her right lung and drained lymph nodes, Sullivan explained in a recent interview with People.

Life‘s surprising little turns try to be ready for them with humor and hope. On we go. pic.twitter.com/wdWI4FicHq

— Susan Sullivan (@realssullivan) October 17, 2023

Speaking exclusively to People, Sullivan revealed her cancer journey began when she went for a routine mammogram in September of last year. It was then a radiologist discovered a swollen lymph node under her arm and advised her to get a biopsy.

Sullivan, who doesn’t smoke, recounted to the celebrity news outlet how she didn’t think the swollen lymph node was “anything,” thinking to herself, “I don’t need a biopsy.”

However, her long-time boyfriend Connell Cowan stressed the importance about getting checked, leading her to think about how both her dad and uncle died from lung cancer.

Despite her worries, prior to undergoing CT and PET scans, Sullivan stayed optimistic by writing herself a note, reading, “Have  lung cancer. It’s going to be okay though. Don’t worry about it. Just take care of it.”

Recounting how she received her diagnosis days later, Sullivan explained, “I thought it was going to be pretty simple that they just take that one little nodule, but they took the whole upper part of my lung. My surgeon said when they went in and looked around with their two cameras, that it would be better to take it all out so any potential for this coming back would be eliminated, which is what they did.

“So now the cancer is completely gone. I am cancer-free, which is an enormous blessing because you don’t want to have to go through endless chemotherapy afterward.”

Sullivan was back up and walking just five days after her procedure, and immediately returned to exercise to regain her strength, admitting to People, “I didn’t want to fade out like that. So I got stronger.”

Thanks for all the lovely comments and concerns. I had lung cancer. The surgery was successful. The healing process is a struggle, Thanks glad you’re out there! #friends pic.twitter.com/HgwrHhIJbd

— Susan Sullivan (@realssullivan) October 17, 2023

It’s clear how Sullivan has carried an immense amount of optimism through her cancer journey, as after her diagnosis, she took to social media to share a photo of herself in what appears to be a hospital, captioning the post, “Life‘s surprising little turns try to be ready for them with humor and hope. On we go.”

In a celebratory followup post via “X” (formerly known as Twitter), Sullivan wrote, “Thanks for all the lovely comments and concerns. I had lung cancer. The surgery was successful.

“The healing process is a struggle, Thanks glad you’re out there!”

Sullivan credits her strength and perseverance through tough times to the support of her partner of 35 years, Connell Cowan.

She wrote in an Oct. 18, 2023, “X” post, “Wanted to share with all those friends who have made this journey with me and that’s you!

“I am cancer free! You can’t do this one alone. Takes a family of friends and if you’re really lucky a good man thank you, Connell!!! Love you.”

Wanted to share with all those friends who have made this journey with me and that’s you! I am cancer free! You can’t do this one alone. Takes a family of friends and if you’re really lucky a good man thank you, Connell!!! Love you. pic.twitter.com/Niwjkgxv9V

— Susan Sullivan (@realssullivan) October 19, 2023

Staying Positive Despite Adversity

We love how Susan Sullivan remained positive and hopeful throughout her cancer journey, which is why we’d like to point out how SurvivorNet specializes in covering the lives of people who overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Often, seeing the positive helps them maintain their resilience.

WATCH: Defining and Building Resilience

Dr. Zuri Murrell, an oncologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, previously spoke to SurvivorNet about the role of a positive outlook on survival rates, saying, “I’m pretty good at telling what kind of patient are going to still have this attitude and probably going to live the longest, even with bad, bad disease. And those are patients who, they have gratitude in life.”

Resilience is an important trait, but not the easiest to build. The ultimate goal is not to avoid tough times, but to be able to bounce back from them. And yet, when they are faced with an overwhelming, life-changing situation, how do people shift their view? How do they learn to see the problem as temporary, rather than permanent, and figure out a solution?

It’s complicated, because building resilience is more about your mental and emotional fortitude than anything else. According to the American Psychological Association, “the resources and skills associated with more positive adaptation (i.e., greater resilience) can be cultivated and practiced.” In other words, resilience is not something you’re born with, which should be encouraging. Instead, after every challenge in your life, you build more and more resilience to those hard times.

You can build resilience the way you build muscle – through patience and steady exercise of the skill. Here are some lessons taken from Fischer, Runkel, and Soller, all who have spoke with SurvivorNet in earlier interviews.

• Be willing to learn. If one way doesn’t work, find a different way. If an obstacle lands in your way, build a path around it or over it. In Resilience, one of the athletes says, “You always have to be learning. Otherwise, life gets stagnant.” The more you learn, the more you grow and growth is a sign of resilience.
• Spend time with people who inspire you. Our world is filled with people who overcome challenges, and their success can energize you to overcome your own. Think about famous people who hava faced adversity and did not give up Stephen King actually threw his manuscript, Carrie, in the trash because it had been rejected by publishers so many times. His wife encouraged him to keep sending it out, and he finally sold it in 1974 launching a massively successful career as a novelist. Take the time to read and learn about the lives of Helen Keller, Jackie Robinson, Bethany Hamilton, Nelson Mandela, and others.
• Allow yourself to grieve. Don’t push away or dismiss your frustration and sadness. Ben Fischer says that life can be filled with lots of crying, but “Those cries make us stronger.”
• Be flexible. Abandon the idea that there is only one solution or that you must stick to your original plan. The best solution or plan is the one that eventually works. You may need to change your original plan as the circumstances change.
• Lean in to your community. Your friends, colleagues, and family are invaluable, and when you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed by a problem, their support can carry you. The Harvard Study of Adult Development is the longest study of human well-being. Many news outlets have covered its results, which show that maintaining strong, healthy relationships helped people live longer lives.   Psychiatrist and author Dr. Samantha Boardman tells SurvivorNet that connecting with and contributing to the lives of other people are two of “the three wellsprings of vitality” (the third is feeling positively challenged).

Understanding Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is the second most common form of cancer, and the leading cause of cancer deaths in both men and women in the United States. It can be particularly tricky to treat because often, symptoms don’t show up until the cancer has spread to other organs.

RELATED: Lung Cancer Overview

There are two main types of lung cancer, which doctors group together based on how they act and how they’re treated:

• Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common type and makes up about 85% of cases (It’s the type of cancer Susan Sullivan battled)
• Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) is less common, but it tends to grow faster than NSCLC and is treated very differently

While this is a serious cancer, its outlook is improving. For one thing, fewer people are getting lung cancer because smoking rates are on the decline.  Also, there have been improvements in surgical techniques and radiation delivery that have improved outcomes and decreased side effects.

For example, most but not all early-stage Non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) can be surgically removed and followed by chemotherapy. According to the American Cancer Society, only “21% of all early-stage NSCLC cases end up undergoing surgical removal.” This number may be so low because surgery can be a taxing treatment for the body.

Finally, newer treatments — like immunotherapy and targeted agents — are dramatically improving the length and quality of life for people who are diagnosed with lung cancer.

Lung Cancer Treatment Options

After a lung cancer diagnosis, you will need to discuss a few things with your doctor, such as the stage of the disease, your treatment options, and how long you have to consider these options, say our experts. Take your time in making a decision, and don’t be afraid to get a second opinion.

Treatment varies depending on which type and stage of cancer you have. If the cancer is local — meaning just in the lungs — surgery may be an option. But if it has spread to the lymph nodes, a combination of radiation with chemotherapy, followed by immunotherapy, may be the best option. Once the cancer has spread outside of the lungs, chemotherapy and/or targeted drugs are used to control its growth as much as possible.

Stage I lung cancer means that your cancer is only in your lungs and has not started to spread to your lymph nodes. Surgery to remove the cancer is considered the gold standard for this stage. Although there are subdivisions of stage I lung cancer, everyone who can have surgery should have surgery to remove their tumor. Some doctors or centers may discuss using a targeted drug after surgery depending on specific aspects unique to your tumor.

For anyone who can’t have surgery because of underlying health conditions, the current standard of care is stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT), which directs extremely high doses of radiation to the tumor. SBRT minimizes the radiation dose to nearby structures, reducing the risk of damage to healthy organs.

WATCH: Immunotherapy and Targeted Therapy for Lung Cancer

Stage II lung cancer means that your cancer is still in your lung, but it has spread to at least one lymph node. Surgery to remove a lobe of the lung (lobectomy) and the affected lymph node(s) is the first-line treatment. As with stage I lung cancer, there are subdivisions of stage II lung cancer, but these often don’t affect the initial treatment decision. Surgery is the gold standard treatment for stage II lung cancer, regardless of what subdivision you have. In some cases, surgery to remove the whole lung (pneumonectomy) may be necessary.

Chemotherapy plus immunotherapy may also be recommended to shrink the tumor before surgery and reduce chances of recurrence after surgery. Some doctors may discuss using a targeted drug after surgery depending on specific aspects unique to your tumor.  Surgery could be followed by additional chemo and immunotherapy. In people with stage II disease who are unable to have surgery, meeting with a radiation oncologist is a very important step, because the tumor may be able to effectively be treated with radiation or chemoradiation, a combination of chemotherapy and radiation.

The decision to proceed with surgery for stage IIIA lung cancer is not always black and white, and it’s an area where doctors sometimes disagree. In stage IIIA, surgery can play a role, depending on where the cancer is, how close it is to other structures, and how many lymph nodes are affected. Chemotherapy plus immunotherapy may also be an option before surgery to shrink the tumor and destroy any errant cancer cells. In scenarios where surgery is not ideal, patients are treated with radiation therapy, which is often given together with chemotherapy. Many of those who are treated with radiation and chemotherapy will receive immunotherapy, as well.

In stage IIIB, cancer has spread to the lymph nodes on the opposite side of the chest, or it has invaded another area, such as the veins feeding the heart. This stage is most often treated with radiation therapy and chemotherapy, followed by immunotherapy. Like with stage IIIA disease, radiation serves as the backbone of treatment for patients with stage IIIB disease, and chemotherapy is often given to enhance the effects of radiation. Patients who tolerate chemotherapy and radiation therapy well are also considered for immunotherapy.

In stage IIIC, the primary tumor is large and the cancer has spread to lymph nodes on the opposite side of the chest, or it has invaded other structures, such as the veins feeding the heart.  As with stage IIIA and stage IIIB cancers, radiation therapy is the mainstay of treatment. Chemotherapy is also used to enhance the effect of radiation therapy. Patients who respond to treatment may also receive immunotherapy.

Surgical Options For Lung Cancer

Meanwhile, SurvivorNet previously asked some of the leading surgeons in the country to help explain the options for lung cancer surgery.

There are several types of surgery for lung cancer, and the decision about which is best is based largely on the location of your cancer, its size and whether it has started to spread. A wedge resection is an option if the tumor is small and located on the outside of the lung. In this procedure, your surgeon removes a piece of the lung (in the shape of a wedge) and lung function is not affected.

By contrast, a lobectomy or a segmentectomy involves the removal of a certain segment of the lung (a lobe). During a pneumonectomy, however, the entire lung is removed.

There are several different ways to do lung cancer surgery. The standard operation used to be open surgery with a big incision in the chest and then spreading apart the ribs. But because of the pain after the operation and the lengthy recovery time, doctors are increasingly using less invasive operations including minimally invasive video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) and robotic techniques.

How to Choose a Surgeon Does Volume Matter?

Your surgeon will go over all of these options with you when planning your treatment.

Questions for Your Doctor

If you are diagnosed with lung cancer and are concerned about the long-term impacts, here are some questions you can ask your doctor.

• Has my cancer spread to other parts of the body?
• Based on my cancer stage, what are my treatment options?
• What are the side effects of my recommended treatment?
• Are there ways to help minimize the effects of treatment?
• How long will I be unable to work or carry out my daily activities?
• What financial resources are available to get the treatments I need?

Beware Of Marketing Gimmicks When It Comes To Surgery

Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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