Fox News Host Laura Ingraham, 60, is a Breast Cancer Survivor Here’s the Personal Reason You Rarely Hear Her Talk About It

She admitted at the time that she didn’t frequently do interviews where she discussed her health.

“A lot of people just want to go through their thing and not be perceived as an object of pity or a victim. I certainly relate,” Ingraham explained. “I never wanted to dwell on it. Some people love to talk about it. I didn't. I just wanted to get through it and then move on.”

Like many other survivors, Ingraham didn’t want to let her cancer define her once it was firmly in the rear view mirror.

“I want people to remember me not for 'She had breast cancer,'" she said. "Most people who get through it just want to be the mom, the friend who happened to have breast cancer. Nothing against it, but I don't wear ribbons, it's just not who I am. I'm pretty private. Then again I do want to help people who are confused or don't know what to do."

The Power of Prayer & Positivity

Ingraham, a Glastonbury, Connecticut native, said that her "tight circle of friends" and prayers from all "across the country" helped her get through the challenges cancer treatment brought.

“I know so many women will say: '[getting the cancer diagnosis] was a curse and a blessing.' The blessing is that in the course of our busy lives you don't have a real chance to be with old college friends, high school friends, my brothers, people who I don't get to see normally.

“I found myself spending time with them because they were insistent they would be with me at key points along the way. That was great, not great because I didn't feel well along the way, but great to be with them. I think they actually learned a lot as well.”

SurvivorNetTV Presents: Turning to Faith Cancer survivors share how spirituality helped them through treatment and recovery. 

When it comes to her spirituality, Ingraham said prayer was “a big, big part” of her recovery.

“I have a deep faith and don't think I could have gotten through it without it. I had a lot of people praying for me. I really felt the power of that prayer. It helped me 100%.”

In a previous conversation on the role of faith and religion when it comes to living with cancer, colorectal cancer surgeon at Cedars-Sinai, Dr. Zuri Murrell, told SurvivorNet that he has noticed his patients who have an innate sense of positivity or gratitude tend to handle treatment better.

“I believe that prayer is very helpful but also, in some patients who don’t believe in prayer, I believe that a positive attitude is what’s really important,” Dr. Murrell explained.

“And I believe that, for a lot of people, prayer helps them develop this.”

Dr. Zuri Murrell explains how a positive attitude can make a difference during the cancer journey.

Coping With Grief

Many people experience a sense of grief after a cancer diagnosis. For Ingraham, it was exacerbated since she had just lost her mother to lung cancer a few years before her own diagnosis.

“I always tell my friends who have mothers who live nearby, who are able to pop over and hang out: 'You are so blessed. I would give pretty much anything to be able to have a few minutes with my mother,'” she said.

Ingraham keeps her mom's memory alive by sharing both her personality “feisty and funny” and her impact with her kids. Ingraham has three children of her own.

“In a different era she would have been a small business owner, an entrepreneur. She was super savvy on making do with very little money; she could add ten numbers in her head at one time. She never went to college, she worked as a waitress for most of her life. We talk about her a lot,” she said.

It’s clear to see her mom’s influence when she talks about her own goals not for her career but for her children.

“My goal is to be the best mom I can be. I want to see [my kids] independent and strong and happy and prepared as best as they can be for life in all its fullness.”

Contributing: Gayle Jo Carter

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