Coping With a Loved One's Diagnosis
- “Bachelor” stars Kelsey Anderson, 25, and her fiancé Joey Graziadei, 28, discuss the impact Anderson’s mom left on her in the wake of her passing after bravely battling metastatic breast cancer.
- Metastatic breast cancer, also called “stage four” breast cancer, means that the cancer has spread, or metastasized, beyond the breasts to other parts of the body. While there is technically no cure, many advancements in treatments exist to improve patient outcomes, which is something to be hopeful about.
- Breast cancer that has spread to the bone – such was the case with Anderson’s mom – the cancer is often hormone receptor-positive, according to SurvivorNet experts. In most instances of hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer spreading to the bone, the first line of attack is hormone therapy.
- Research published in The Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine studied the impact of disease on family members. It was found that “Most chronic diseases have similar effects on family members [as they do on the patient], including psychological and emotional functioning, disruption of leisure activities, effect on interpersonal relationships, and financial resources.”
“Bachelor” star Kelsey Anderson, 25, is riding a wave of momentum, having recently gotten engaged to fellow “Bachelor” star Joey Graziadei, 28, on the show’s season finale. The couple’s love and support were on full display when Anderson told her fiancé about her late mom, who bravely battled metastatic breast cancer.
“She brought so much light into any room she walked into,” Anderson said emotionally on the reality TV show.
Read More@valentinaxoxoxo Aww ❤️ #thebachelor #bachelornationabc #joeygraziadei #bachelor #thebachelorabc #bachelornation🌹 #kelseyandjoey ♬ original sound – Valentina | Reality TV
“Her energy was just so positive. Then, about ten years ago, she got diagnosed with breast cancer, then it metastasized onto her bones,” a teary-eyed Anderson explained.
“Then, they gave her six months. After that, it was very aggressive, and after about two months, she passed away,” Anderson said.
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Comforting his soon-to-be wife, Graziadei reassured Anderson that her mom’s spirit was still ever-present.
“I’m sure your mom would be more than proud of you because you describe her as someone who is always thinking of others, and that’s the only thing I see when I talk to you,” Graziadei said.
The happy couple continues to support and love each other. According to Business Insider, they recently underwent couple’s therapy. People Magazine noted they are already considering baby names for their little one in the future.
Helping Patients Cope with a Cancer Diagnosis
Metastatic Breast Cancer and How It’s Treated
Breast cancer spreads through the bloodstream or lymphatic system. The blood carries cancer cells to different body parts, where they grow as new tumors.
Once breast cancer spreads, the cells may continue to grow slowly or stop growing and stay at equilibrium.
“Metastatic breast cancer is a treatable disease,” explains Dr. Kenneth D. Miller, medical oncologist at the Alvin & Lois Lapidus Cancer Institute at Sinai Hospital of Baltimore. “Fortunately, we have so many new treatments for women with recurrent breast cancer and for many women who look at this as a chronic disease that they can live with often for many years.”
Breast cancer is sometimes classified as either local, regional, or distant.
- Local: Cancer is located in the breast and has not spread
- Regional: Cancer spreads from the breast to nearby lymph nodes
- Distant: Cancer spreads to distant parts of the body, including bones, liver, lungs, and/or brain
WATCH: Treatment Options for Late-Stage Breast Cancer
Treatment for metastatic breast cancer focuses on decreasing the spread of cancer cells, as well as relieving symptoms and improving quality of life.
Women with HER2-positive breast cancer, meaning they have high levels of a protein called HER2 on the surface of their cancer cells, targeted treatments are available. The drugs trastuzumab (Herceptin) and pertuzumab (Perjeta) have transformed the outlook for some women with late-stage breast cancers. These therapies, which are often combined with chemo, are very effective at controlling breast cancer once it has spread.
Another notable treatment is for triple-negative breast cancer. This has historically been one of the most aggressive and most challenging to treat forms of the disease because it lacks any of the main drivers of breast cancer, the estrogen receptor, the progesterone receptor, and the HER2 receptor, and it doesn’t respond to treatments that target these receptors.
Now, in addition to chemotherapy, immunotherapy has been approved to treat triple-negative breast cancer.
Breast cancer that has spread to the bone – such was the case with Anderson’s mom – the cancer is often hormone receptor-positive, according to SurvivorNet experts. Women may think when this happens, they need aggressive chemotherapy. However, in most instances of hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer to the bone, the first line of attack is hormone therapy.
Hormone therapies are often combined with other medications to improve their efficacy. For example, CD4/CD6 inhibitors are a type of oral medication that is sometimes combined with hormonal therapies to help shrink breast cancers.
Health Challenges Can Impact the Entire Family
Kelsey Anderson noted how much her mom’s breast cancer diagnosis impacted her during the “Bachelor” segment. Today, many years after her mom’s passing, she still gets emotional about it.
Research published in The Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine studied the impact of disease on family members. It was found that “Most chronic diseases have similar effects on family members [as they do on the patient], including psychological and emotional functioning, disruption of leisure activities, effect on interpersonal relationships, and financial resources.”
Feelings of “helplessness, lack of control, anger, embarrassment” are some common emotions parents, siblings, and other relatives within the household of someone battling a health condition may experience, according to researchers.
Other ways a disease, for example, may impact the lives of family members include:
- Affecting sleep
- Concerns about medical treatment
- Altered food choices
- Using religion, spiritual, and cultural beliefs to cope
- Feeling obligated to provide a case
- Concerns about understanding the disease or illness
- Needing support from others
- Limited freedom
- Worrying about the death of a loved one
Our experts agree that forming a strong support system can help everyone in the family cope with the challenges a diagnosis can bring. These situations can be opportunities to strengthen families and bring them closer together.
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