‘Taxi’ Actress Marilu Henner, 71, Says ‘Openness’ About Husband’s Uncomfortable Bladder Cancer Symptoms Brought Them Closer: ‘You're in the Journey Together’

Henner is a veteran actress having starred in various television shows and movies over the last four decades. She's likely best known for her role as Elaine Nardo on the 1970s sitcom "Taxi” about a group of New York City taxicab drivers aspiring to greater heights in life.

Henner also had a reoccurring role as Ava Evans Newton on the 1990s sitcom "Evening Shade". The show featured Burt Reynolds in the leading role portraying a retired football player returning to his hometown.

Off-screen, Henner married her longtime friend who she met in college, Michael Brown, in December 2006.

It was three years earlier, when the couple was vacationing that Brown noticed blood in his urine. The unusual symptom caused the couple to seek a urologist. The first trip to the doctor left them empty-handed because the doctor told Brown it was "nothing to worry about."

This response did not sit well with Henner, and she took it upon herself to be her partner’s biggest health advocate.

"For me, this was something to worry about," Henner said.

Henner was insistent upon finding more concrete answers, and it led them to seek out a second opinion. This is something experts that SurvivorNet spoke with, including the National Cancer Institute Chief of Surgery Dr. Steven Rosenberg, encourage when people feel their concerns aren’t being properly addressed.

"It’s always important to get other opinions so that you can make the best decisions for yourself in consultation with your care providers," Dr. Rosenbger tells SurvivorNet.

It was this second opinion that got Brown the diagnosis he needed.

"He saw another doctor at the practice who diagnosed him with bladder cancer. The doctor recommended one treatment approach, but I had a sense we should be doing more. We then saw other doctors, and worked together to choose the treatment recommendation that was right for us," Henner explained.

Bladder cancer is the sixth most common type of cancer overall in the United States, though it is the fourth most common for men. It develops when cells that make up the urinary bladder start to grow and eventually develop into tumors.

Shortly after receiving a bladder cancer diagnosis, Brown was also diagnosed with early-stage lung cancer.

The couple prioritized Brown's health and part of his treatment included immunotherapy, which uses the body's own immune system to combat cancer.

In a previous interview with SurvivorNet, Henner shared that her husband is now in remission. However, he remains vigilant for any unsuspecting symptoms.

The Power of a Supportive Partner During Cancer

During Michael Brown's cancer journey, Marilu Henner acted as his caregiver, helping him with anything he needed. She said cancer actually brought them closer together.

"For me and Michael, openness, humor, kindness, and listening were key in dealing with the disease," Henner said.

In particular, she wanted Brown to feel comfortable discussing the uncomfortable, like bathroom-related symptoms of bladder cancer.

"When your partner has cancer, you're in the journey together, so it's important to be open and honest, even about the most intimate of issues. Working through these intimacy issues definitely made us closer," the actress added with helpful advice.

As many cancer survivors and their loved ones know all too well, a life-altering diagnosis impacts not just the patient but their loved ones too. During these moments, loved ones, which may include family and friends, can find themselves in caregiving roles.

MacMillan Cancer Support, a charity that advocates for cancer patients, says communication is a vital tool in helping support a partner with cancer and it could help a couple understand each other better.

"It can help to ask your partner what support they would like and find useful. This makes sure you help where it is most wanted and needed. It can also help you avoid misunderstandings," the charity said.

The openness Henner and her husband shared helped the couple better understand where each other was coming from during the cancer journey.

WATCH: The value of a supportive partner during a cancer journey.

Fellow actress Jill Kargman told SurvivorNet that her breast cancer helped her realize the true love her husband had for her.

"I think cancer is a great way to find out if you’re with the love of your life or a shithead. I think it presses the fast forward button on getting to the bottom of that answer," Kargman said.

"I think if you’re with someone who is not supportive and kind of emotionally checked out or doesn’t tell you you’re still beautiful with that, this might not be your person," Karman continued.

If you find yourself facing a cancer diagnosis but do not have a spouse or partner, as long as someone within your support group can help you on your journey is all that counts.

On the other hand, if you are assuming a caregiving role like Henner, remember that it's necessary to understand your loved one's diagnosis and assist them when following cancer-care instructions.

Dr. Jayanthi Lea, a gynecologic oncologist at UT Southwestern Medical Center, previously told SurvivorNet, "I encourage caregivers to come into visits with my patients because, in that way, the caregiver is also listening to the recommendations what should be done in between these visits, any changes in treatment plans, any toxicities [side effects] that we need to look out for, changes in dietary habits, exercise, etc."

Treating Bladder Cancer

If you find yourself battling bladder cancer, you'll quickly learn there are several different treatment options, including surgery, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy. The variety of treatment options offers hope to brave cancer patients.

Michael Brown used a form of immunotherapy to help treat his bladder cancer.

Immunotherapy in bladder cancer treatment involves drugs called immune checkpoint inhibitors, which help the immune system target the proteins called PD-1 or PD-L1. When these proteins are blocked by these inhibitors, the immune system can get to work fighting off cancer cells.

These checkpoint inhibitors are approved to treat bladder cancer:

• Avelumab (sold under the brand name Bavencio)
• Nivolumab (Opdivo)
• Pembrolizumab (Keytruda)

WATCH: How immunotherapy can help bladder cancer patients.

"The immune system is actually our most powerful weapon against cancer," says Dr. Arjun Balar, director of the genitourinary medical oncology program at NYU's Perlmutter Cancer Center.

When it comes to bladder cancer, immunotherapy is a vital tool, because "60-70% of people diagnosed with advanced bladder cancer are not eligible for the most effective and aggressive chemotherapy options," according to Dr. Balar.

Although immunotherapy comes with great rewards, it also has side effects.

The types of side effects that you have depend on which part of your body your immune system targets:

• Intestines: diarrhea, belly pain
• Lungs: shortness of breath, cough
• Hormone-producing glands: headaches, fatigue, weight loss, weakness, belly pain, nausea, and vomiting
• Joints and muscles: pain, weakness
• Lungs: shortness of breath, cough
• Skin: rash, itchy skin, blisters
• Heart: low blood pressure, abnormal heartbeat

Some people have an allergic-like reaction to the infusion. Infusion reactions cause side effects like these:

• Fever
• Chills
• Rash
• Itching
• Dizziness
• Wheezing
• Trouble breathing

"Anywhere between 15 and 20% of our patients will develop a moderate to severe side effect from immunotherapy," Dr. Balar says. "The good news is that the majority of these side effects are very much treatable."

While immunotherapy avoids many of the typical chemotherapy side effects, like nausea and hair loss, it can cause a few symptoms of its own. Watching for these side effects and reporting them to your doctor can help you manage them quickly.

One way your doctor can help mitigate side effects related to immunotherapy is by "calming the immune system down" with steroids, Dr. Balar explains.

He says steroids suppress your immune system so that it no longer attacks your own tissues which will help alleviate the side effects in a matter of days.

Questions for Your Doctor

If you find yourself diagnosed with bladder cancer and are mulling over treatment options with your partner, spouse, or loved one, consider these questions for your doctor.

• What is the current status of my cancer? Has it metastasized or spread beyond the bladder?
• What treatment options are available to me?
• What are the pros and cons of each treatment option?
• What are the potential side effects of treatment?

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

---