A Beloved Child Star
- Disney legend Hayley Mills, 75, the iconic actress who played twins in the classic 1951 film The Parent Trap, just released a memoir about her child acting career and the pressures of growing up in a world where everyone wanted her to stay young.
- The breast cancer survivor, who also played the title role in 1960’s Polyanna, gave a recent update on her health in an interview to promote her book, saying staying healthy is all about diet and exercise.
- Mills decided to stop chemotherapy after three sessions in 2008, finding the side effects unmanageable. It is important to note that much has improved since, and a leading expert explains that the side effects may be more tolerable than you think.
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Mills began her acting career at age 12 and signed a six-picture deal with Disney.
The exuberant little girl with the curly, blonde locks won the Academy Juvenile Award (one of twelve ever to receive the award), the BAFTA for Most Promising Newcomer, and she won a Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year. As one of the OG Disney actresses, Mills became a beloved, international star.
“Walt Disney was a warm, generous, marvelous man. I adored him.”
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She talked about playing twins in The Parent Trap. “I think it was one of the first films where they used that process. Walt liked it so much, he added more scenes. I thought it was fun. I loved doing it,” she said.
Mills did have a photo double named Susan Henning. “We used to have a great time together. She was an actress, and I always admired her so much because the whole film was the back of her head. But because she was an actress, I had somebody to really play the scenes with.”
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Although Mills’ career isn’t at the level of her award-winning child star days, she has no regrets and is enjoying being present in her family’s life.
“I've been doing theater and little things here and there, did a little bit in a movie. I have my two sons. I have a wonderful partner, and I'm very fortunate to have five grandchildren,” she said. “I'm really busy. So much of my life when my children were growing up, I had to go off to work, and I don't want to miss my grandchildren. I want to be there for their birthdays. I want to know them, and I want them to know me.”
Mills’ Breast Cancer Battle
Mills was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008, and ultimately decided to stop chemotherapy after just three sessions.
"It made me feel awful," she told the Daily Mirror in a prior interview. "I was more frightened of the chemo than the cancer. I could feel it draining me and killing me. I felt I was dying."
Mills did not do radiation either, and just had surgery. She stressed that her quality of life was important, and noted that it was her personal decision and doesn’t mean it’s the right course of action for everyone. Fortunately, she is still in remission.
“We like to think we're controlling things but we aren'twe just have to deal with what life hands us."
Treatment for Breast Cancer
Just because Mills had an unfortunate experience with her treatment doesn’t mean that every person will suffer. Many cancer patients find the side effects tolerable. It is as mental as it is physical, and although the best path to choose is taking advice from your medical team, the decision is ultimately up to you. However, staying informed of all the risks with or without treatment and then making a decision based off of that knowledge is a must at the very least. It’s also important to note that treatments have improved since 2008 and doctors are finding more and more ways to combat side effects.
What You Think You Know about Chemotherapy Side Effects May Be Wrong
Many patients are extremely anxious about nausea as a side effect of chemotherapy. Dr. Renata Urban, an oncologist at the University of Washington reassures patients that nausea can be well-controlled now with medication before, during, and after chemotherapy infusions.
"When I talk about nausea oftentimes the conversation centers around both the potential for nausea, as well as recognizing that a lot of our chemotherapy regimens now include anti-nausea medications. We recognize there is going to be nausea, but we have really effective means of preventing that," she says.
Dr. Urban also wants her patients to understand other side effects of chemotherapy that they might not be aware of. "First and foremost, there's going to be some suppression of the bone marrow, meaning items such as anemia, low platelets, which are your blood clotting cells, lower white blood cells, which are your infection fighting cells."
Another side effect that needs to be discussed is fatigue. "This is one of the few symptoms that doesn't necessarily come and go with chemo, but oftentimes can be constant and also go up over time," says Dr. Urban. "I talk about calling that out, thinking about strategies the patient might have to try to address that, and addressing the importance of exercise as well as mental health care to combat the fatigue." Fatigue varies greatly from person to person. Some women are able to return to work or daily activities almost immediately, even if they aren't active for quite as many hours each day as before. Others will need to take time off and recuperate after each treatment.
Another side effect that patients may not be aware of is called neuropathy, which is peripheral nerve damage that can cause a numb, tingly, or painful feeling in the hands and feet. "I review the potential for that and the importance for patients to bring those symptoms to our attention," says Dr. Urban.
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