Focusing on Gratitude
- For Thanksgiving week, we’re shining a light on celebrity cancer survivors and fighters, like Shannen Doherty, Robin Roberts, and more, who focus on the good, even through health challenges.
- Staying attuned to life’s positives while facing a cancer diagnosis can positively impact a prognosis in some cases.
- These celebrities exemplify what it means to stay focused on the good even through tough times.
Related: Stay Positive, It Matters
Read MoreKathy Griffin Treated for Lung Cancer
Comedian Kathy Griffin, 60, shared with fans earlier this year that she was diagnosed with stage 1 lung cancer. Griffin is a non-smoker; smoking is a risk factor for lung cancer and many assume that a person diagnosed with lung cancer is a smoker, but that’s not the case with Griffin and many others. Related: Former & Current Heavy Smokers Should Get Lung Cancer Screenings Using CT Scan, Says Leading ExpertTo treat it, she had lung cancer surgery and had half of her lung removed. Since her cancer diagnosis and surgery, Griffin has said that she’s more vocal with loved ones telling them more frequently that she loves them, and is grateful for them.
Griffin has also expressed gratitude for gifts and loving acts from her friends through her cancer journey. Having a strong support circle through cancer can make things easier.
Jeff Bridges Cherishes His Days After Lymphoma Battle
Big Lebowski actor Jeff Bridges, 71, was diagnosed with lymphoma last year and is now in remission. Even from the outset of his diagnosis, Bridges was grateful, saying he felt fortunate to have a great team of doctors.
Sharing his diagnosis on Twitter, he wrote, “As the Dude would say.. New S**T has come to light. I have been diagnosed with Lymphoma. Although it is a serious disease, I feel fortunate that I have a great team of doctors and the prognosis is good. I'm starting treatment and will keep you posted on my recovery.”
As the Dude would say.. New S**T has come to light.
I have been diagnosed with Lymphoma. Although it is a serious disease, I feel fortunate that I have a great team of doctors and the prognosis is good.
I’m starting treatment and will keep you posted on my recovery.
— Jeff Bridges (@TheJeffBridges) October 20, 2020
Julia Louis-Dreyfus is Grateful for Covid-19 Vaccine Access & Her Health
Breast cancer survivor Julia Louis-Dreyfus is grateful for her health, and the ability to be vaccinated! Some cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy, blunt the immune system, making a person more susceptible to contracting the coronavirus.
Louis-Dreyfus was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer in 2017. She went through six rounds of chemotherapy, and a double mastectomy to treat her disease. Treatment options for breast cancer include surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy.
Shannen Doherty Relishes in the Outdoors Amid Breast Cancer
Shannen Doherty, 50, is currently battling metastatic breast cancer and throughout it all, she is grateful: Grateful for her friends, her dog Bowie, her partner, time spent outside, and the journey.
Doherty was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015 after finding a lump in her breast which turned out to be cancerous. Doherty had hormone therapy to fight her cancer, but it was ineffective and the cancer had spread to her lymph nodes.
For treatment, Doherty underwent single mastectomy and also had chemotherapy and radiation. After going into remission, she announced in February 2020 that her cancer returned, and this time it had spread to other parts of her body.
An Overview of Treatment Options for Advanced Breast Cancer
Robin Roberts Reminds Us to Be Grateful
And finally, there’s Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts, who is a breast cancer survivor and may be the queen of gratitude. Regularly, Roberts shares gratitude videos on her Instagram, providing a heavy dose of positivity for all her followers and fans. She inspires her fans to have hope, be grateful, and stay open to receiving blessings.
Roberts was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007, and publicly battled the disease. She also had to have a bone marrow transplant to treat her MDS, which is a rare type of blood cancer.
Preparing For A Stem-Cell Transplant
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