Terry & Rebecca Crews' Strength Through Adversity
- Actor and TV show host Terry Crews, 56, viewed an emotional outdoor drone performance dedicated to lost loved ones, prompting the dad of five to recount his wife Rebecca Crews, 58, previously suffered three miscarriages.
- Rebecca also previously battled stage 1 breast cancer. She is now “cancer-free” after undergoing a double mastectomy (removal of both breasts).
- Dealing with any type of battle can be extremely overwhelming. So having a good relationship with a partner, like Rebecca has with Terry, can be incredibly helpful.
- MacMillan Cancer Support suggests communication is key when dealing with a loved one who has cancer or has gone through a difficult health struggle. “Try to be yourself and live as normally as possible.”
After America’s Got Talent (AGT) host Terry Crews, 56, viewed an emotional outdoor drone performance by Sky Elements during the show’s latest episode, the dad of five revealed his wife Rebecca Crews, 58, previously suffered three miscarriages.
Read MoreCrews previously told SurvivorNet that learning his wife had breast cancer, “actually felt a mild panic attack. The only way I can describe it is that I felt like my insides were melting.”
Referring to how the drone show made him feel, he explained, “It’s one of those things where it was so meaningful and special because the dedication is just, it’s a way to process these things.”
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The drone performance was accompanied by the song “Butterfly” by Lily Meola, about moving on with life after the loss of a loved one.
“And how he brought that up, I was like, ‘Wow.’ I think the show needed it. … This is the perfect AGT show today,” Terry continued.
“We balanced out everything. We had the laughs, we had the dedications, we had the fun, we had the dancing. It was just all over the place and it was perfect.”
RELATED: Actor Terry Crews’ Wife, Rebecca Says Turn To Prayer and Faith in These Trying Times
Not only has Terry and his wife experienced devastating losses like miscarriage, but they’ve also endured a cancer diagnosis when Rebecca learned she had stage 1 breast cancer in 2020 following a mammogram and ultrasound. She ultimately underwent a double mastectomy [removing both breasts to help her treat the cancer] and has since been declared “cancer-free.”
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As for how Terry copes with adversity, the “White Chicks” star admitted “music” is one of the things that helps him amid difficult times.
He told People, “I sit in a room and listen to music and it helps me process … all the things I’m feeling. Then the other thing is I just talk to my wife. We talk it out. We have really, really nice long, deep conversation. Turn the TV off, turn the phone off and let’s just talk it through.”
“And it’s amazing what that does. You know what I mean? Definitely. It really, truly, you turn around an hour later you’re like, ‘Wow, I can handle anything.’ ”
Coping With Loss
In an earlier interview with SurvivorNet, Terry said Rebecca leaned on her faith to help her through some of her biggest challenges, from losing a baby to breast cancer.
“My wife and I have been through a lot of things,” Terry Crews said. “We’ve lost homes; we’ve lost children before things that would have taken a lot of people out, and we survived them all.”
He credits his faith in God for keeping them spiritually motivated to persevere through tough times.
WATCH: Turning to Faith During a Cancer Journey.
We don’t have further information on Rebecca’s three miscarriages, but it’s inspiring to see her husband Terry openly talk about them having that experience. Perhaps others dealing with medical trauma can look to them as an example of what healthy coping looks like when life challenges us.
Life is full of uncertainties. We’ll never know exactly what will happen from one moment to the next, and embracing that uncertainty is a part of living.
“Every day of our lives is really filled with uncertainty,” Dr. William Breitbart, the chair of the Department of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, said. “What the task becomes is having the courage to live in the face of uncertainty, realizing that you cannot necessarily control the uncertainty in life… the suffering that occurs, challenges both good and bad.
“You may not be able to control those but you have control over how you choose to respond.”
Embracing The Uncertainty of Life
Everyone responds to life’s stressful events differently. And it’s normal for people to experience a range of emotions. One day you might be coping just fine, the next you might feel crippled by distress. Know that all your emotions are valid and your mental health care needs can look very different from another person’s even if they’re going through a similar stressor.
“The way people respond is very variable,” psychiatrist Dr. Lori Plutchik said. “Very much consistent with how they respond to stresses and challenges in their life in general.”
Responding to Stress: How to Cope With Complex & Changing Emotions
If you’ve just been dealt an unfortunate hand in life, try to move forward in a thoughtful way. Be kind to yourself as you navigate the road ahead, and, eventually, you might find yourself feeling more resilient than ever.
“One trick to learning to accept less than optimal news is to keep Dr. Tara Brach’s acronym RAIN in mind,” Licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Marianna Strongin wrote in a column for SurvivorNet.
“RAIN stands for: RECOGNIZE and pause to notice; ALLOW, or accept your current experience; INVESTIGATE, by pinpointing what is happening in your mind and body; then NURTURE, by bringing compassion to yourself.”
There are mental health treatments to consider if you’re struggling with your thoughts and feelings after a stressful event. From talk therapy, to changing lifestyle habits (like exercise and diet), to medication, to seeking out a support group, the options are wide-ranging. Above all, know you’re not alone and there are many different approaches to mental health care for you to try.
Rebecca Crews’ Cancer Journey
Rebecca Crews knows all about adversity as she was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer in 2020 following a mammogram and ultrasound.
Stage 1 breast cancers are relatively small; they either have not spread to the lymph nodes or only a small area of cancer has spread to the sentinel lymph node. Treatment will likely be surgery, radiation following surgery, chemotherapy, or other therapy.
Can I Have A Baby After Breast Cancer?
Rebecca underwent a double mastectomy procedure that involved removing both breasts to get rid of cancer. The procedure may also be a preventative measure for women at a higher risk of developing breast cancer.
“A double mastectomy typically takes about two hours for the cancer part of the operation, the removing of the tissue,” Dr. Elisa Port, Chief of Breast Surgery at Mount Sinai Health System, told SurvivorNet. “The real length, the total length of the surgery, can often depend on what type of reconstruction [a patient] has.”
During Rebecca Crews’ cancer journey, she gave large amounts of credit to her faith in God and her loving and supportive husband for helping her fight her cancer.
Rebecca, who remains free of the disease following her cancer treatment, SurvivorNet in an earlier interview, “Our love right now is the strongest it’s ever been because we survived.”
Relationships and Cancer
Dealing with any type of health battle or pregnancy loss can be extremely overwhelming. So having a good relationship with a partner can be incredibly helpful.
According to MacMillan Cancer Support, communication is key.
“Try to be yourself and live as normally as possible. Behaving differently may make your partner feel more aware of the cancer,” the organization explains.
“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.”
That being said, the person struggling with their health needs to know their limits on what they can handle as they prioritize their recovery.
“Going through [cancer] treatment is a very vulnerable and emotionally exhausting experience,” licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Strongin previously wrote in a column for SurvivorNet. “Noticing what you have strength for and what is feeling like too much [is] extremely important to pay attention to as you navigate treatment.”
Dr. Strongin said studies show that loneliness can impact a person’s recovery. That’s why surrounding yourself with people, potentially including a partner, who can support you throughout treatment is crucial.
Grinding Through Cancer Treatment: Finding The Strength To Keep Going
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
