How to Cope with an Unexpected Diagnosis
- Actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus, known for playing Elaine Benes on NBC’s “Seinfeld,” has admitted her breast cancer battle affected her perception on life in a recent “Today Show” interview.
- Louis-Dreyfus was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer back in 2017. She later went public with the news on her social media channels to an outpouring of support. She announced she was “cancer-free” about a year later.
- When you are diagnosed with cancer, your emotions are likely to be fluid, and that’s normal. Psychiatrist Dr. Lori Plutchik recommends people faced with a significant health crisis, including a cancer diagnosis, lean into their support system, which can look different for each patient.
- Experts tell us there’s real value in trying to focus on the good during a health struggle — and doing things that bring you joy to the degree you’re able to.
Louis-Dreyfus, known for playing Elaine Benes on NBC’s “Seinfeld” from 1990 to 1998, spoke on a recent “Today Show” episode on how battling a disease altered her life.
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“I realized for the very first time in my life that my life had a beginning and an end. I have never actually visualized it until that diagnosis. It’s like the world snapped into focus. I cleared away stuff I didn’t want anymore. I held on tightly to the things I did.”
Kotb then asked Louis-Dreyfus what she learned from her experience with cancer.
Louis-Dreyfus explained, “Well, I would say the same Hoda, I think that when you’re younger, there’s kind of this arrogance of youth, of feeling like … you do feel immortal.
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“And then all of a sudden you’re bumped up against that and you’re like, ‘Oh, wait a minute. This, at some point, is going to end.’ You don’t go through life thinking about that very much. So it puts into sharp focus priorities. That did for me.”
She continued, “I made more of an attitude shift about what my priorities were and how to sort of go forth. And a lot of this work that we’re talking about today is sort of as a result of that.”
Louis-Dreyfus also told co-hosts Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie about her podcast “Wiser Than Me,” which she says fills “a gap” in the market for older women.
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As for what led Louis-Dreyfus to create her award-winning podcast, she said, “Well, because I watched that Jane Fonda documentary that came out a few years ago, and I was struck by the profundity and the scope of her life and there is so much that she’s done, and then I thought, we don’t really hear from older women and the experiences that they have.
“We certainly hear a lot from older men. But we don’t hear from older women. Older women are sort of are less visible and that’s a huge resource that is left untapped, and I was thinking, ‘God, I wish there was like a podcast or someplace I could go to hear conversations.’ And I thought, ‘well there isn’t one, I guess I’ll have to do it.'”
Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ Breast Cancer Journey
Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ cancer journey helped her change her outlook on life and ultimately build resilience. She learned she was facing cancer the morning the 2017 Emmy Awards.
“I started laughing. Well, the night before, I had won an Emmy. And so, I came downstairs, and…the Emmy was there. It was like on the dining room table. I’m coming down to get coffee. My cell phone rings, and it’s my doctor saying, ‘Guess what, you have cancer,'” Louis-Dreyfus said, according to People.
She had stage 2 breast cancer.
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“Of course, I did laugh, and then I became hysterical, crying, because I was terrified, as most people are, or as all people are, if they get a diagnosis like that,” she said.
Stage 2 breast cancers are either larger than stage 1 tumors or have moved to a few nearby lymph nodes. Treatment will likely be some combination of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy.
Coping with your fluid emotions shortly after being diagnosed with cancer is a very common experience. Psychiatrist Dr. Lori Plutchik recommends people faced with a significant health crisis, including a cancer diagnosis, lean into their support system, which may look different for everyone. Sometimes, you may need to see a mental health professional for additional help.
After her diagnosis, Louis-Dreyfus shared the news publicly on her social media channels to an outpouring of support.
Just when you thought… pic.twitter.com/SbtYChwiEj
— Julia Louis-Dreyfus (@OfficialJLD) September 28, 2017
The actress underwent six rounds of chemotherapy and a double mastectomy during her treatment.
To help her through chemo, she reflected on a nerve-wracking moment when she was on a boat with her husband. She then jumped in the water for a swim. However, a shark eerily crept up behind her. She knew she needed to get back on the boat quickly.
“I just saw the ladder, and I started swimming towards it, and I made the decision not to look around me at all. I was just going to stay looking at the ladder. And that very much applied to how I got through my cancer adventure — was sort of looking at the ladder. Just let’s get this done, let’s get there,” Louis-Dreyfus said.
By October 2018, Louis-Dreyfus announced that she was “cancer-free.” Remarkably, the brave actress is nearing the notable milestone of six years in remission.
“For cancers that return, most do so within the first five years after treatment. But, there is a chance that cancer will come back later. For these reasons, doctors cannot say for sure that you are cured. The most they can say is that there are no signs of cancer at this time,” the National Cancer Institute explains.
However, while the most arduous parts of the journey may be behind her, the brave actress was still changed by the experience.
“I’m just very focused on…trying to enjoy my life as much as possible,” Louis-Dreyfus, who also admitted she’s at peace with aging, said.
“As you age, you just get deeper rooted. You get to know yourself and your world and the world, I hope, better than you knew it when you were 17. I have a bigger sense of community and responsibility to others that I certainly didn’t have in the same way at the age of 17 when I was just thinking about me, me, me, me, me,” she explained.
Handling Fear When You Get the Diagnosis
It would be very out of the ordinary if you didn’t feel scared when faced with serious illness. Anxiety and fear are certainly normal reactions to the news that you have breast cancer.
Acknowledging these emotions can be therapeutic and important to the healing process, according to SurvivorNet experts.
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Here are some tips on how to confront your fears without letting them take over entirely:
1. Let your family and close friends know and let them help. So many cancer survivors tell us they want and need support but are often too preoccupied to make specific requests. Urge those close to you to jump in with whatever practical help they can offer.
2. Keep a journal. It can be extremely cathartic to let those feelings loose on paper. Grab a pen and a nice journal and chronicle your different thoughts throughout the day.
3. Join a cancer support group. There are groups in nearly every community offering opportunities to connect with others going through a similar journey. You’ll learn incredibly helpful insight from others who can tell you about what to expect and how to stay strong on tough days.
4. Consider seeing a therapist. Ask your doctor to refer you to a therapist so you can discuss your fears and concerns in a safe space. Often, vocalizing your thoughts and feelings rather than internalizing them can provide relief.
Additionally, Dr. Dana Chase, a Gynecologic Oncologist at UCLA Health, says it’s important to try to focus on the good, stay positive, and do things that bring you joy to the degree you’re able to do so amid battling a disease like cancer.
“We know, actually from good studies, that emotional health, quality of life is associated with survival, meaning better quality of life is associated with better survival, better outcomes.” Dr. Chase said in an earlier interview.
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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