How Family Influences Bouts with Cancer
- HGTV house flippers Tarek El Moussa and wife Heather Rae welcomed their baby Tristan in January.
- The El Moussas had fertility concerns after Tarek's testicular cancer battle, during which he had one testicle removed.
- Tarek survived testicular and thyroid cancer, and the couple were able to conceive Tristant without the help of fertility treatments like in vitro fertilization.
- Cancer treatments can affect male fertility, though it’s not always the case. Men may have the option to store their sperm in a sperm bank to use at a later time.
- It's important for cancer warriors to know they have a strong support group behind them. SurvivorNet experts say it helps them alleviate anxiety and depression as cancer treatments become more intense over time.
- Caregivers must also watch out for "caregiver burnout" where stress, anger, fatigue and illness emerges from putting another person's needs ahead of your own.
The famous reality couple from “The Flipping El Moussas” show shared an adorable new photo of 8-week-old Tristan's first dip in a pool.
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The first-time mom posted another sweet photo just last week of her and Tristan, both wearing matching sweaters while cuddled up together.
"My baby and my bestie. We're inseparable," she wrote in an Instagram post.
Heather Rae El Moussa, 35, currently stars on "Selling Sunset," a Netflix reality TV show that focuses on high-end real estate in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Her career also includes appearances in movies such as "The Internship" and "Love in the Time of Monsters". Tarek El Moussa is the host of "Flipping 101 With Tarek El Moussa" on HGTV.
El Moussa's Focus on Family After Cancer Battles
Tarek El Moussa battled thyroid cancer in 2013 after an eagle-eyed viewer spotted a sign of the disease in an episode of his show “Flip or Flop.”
Thyroid cancer is the growth of cells that start in the thyroid, which is located at the base of the neck and produces hormones that regulate your heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature and weight. The American Cancer Society lists thyroid cancer symptoms as a lump or swelling or pain in the neck. Difficulty swallowing, breathing and voice changes are also symptoms of thyroid cancer.
He also had a bout with testicular cancer, which is a growth of cells that starts in the testicles and affects men most often between 15 and 45 years old, according to Mayo Clinic.
"Testicular cancer commonly occurs from ages 20-45, but it can occur at any age," Dr. Bradley McGregor said. "The highest risk factor for testicular cancer is a history of cryptorchidism, an undescended testicle, where the testicle does not move down into the scrotum before birth. Men with a family history of testicular cancer are at increased risk as well. No lifestyle changes have been shown to definitively reduce risk of testicular cancer."
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On March 14, 2019, Tarek El Moussa announced in an Instagram post that he beat the cancers, saying his family was among his top motivators to keep fighting.
"They are my everything and they need their daddy!" he wrote.
Cancer and Male Fertility
El Moussa initially had fertility concerns after his testicular cancer battle, during which he had one testicle removed.
Testicular cancer survivors may come across issues with fertility after overcoming the disease, but this is not always the case. Treatment for this cancer can "affect hormone levels and can also affect your ability to father children after treatment," according to the American Cancer Society.
Like Tarek’s case, the removal of one testicle may not always affect fertility for men, according to the Moffitt Cancer Center. Men may be able to maintain their fertility after. However, if both testicles are removed, the man will not maintain their fertility.
Meanwhile, other cancer treatments like chemotherapy can damage sperm in men, and hormone therapy can decrease sperm production, according to the National Cancer Institute. And radiation to the reproductive organs or nearby areas has the potential to lower sperm count and testosterone levels, causing infertility.
You should discuss the possible effects of your treatment with your doctor beforehand to understand all the options you have at hand. Men may have the option to store their sperm in a sperm bank before treatment to preserve their fertility. This sperm can then be used later as part of in vitro fertilization (IVF), a procedure in which a woman’s egg is fertilized with sperm in a lab. The embryo is then transferred to a woman’s uterus to develop.
Tarek and Heather had hope of having children together after his cancer battles. They were in the middle of IVF treatments, and even had a scheduled date to transfer an embryo, when the couple found out that Heather was pregnant naturally.
They welcomed little Tristan in January 2023.
If you’re wondering how your cancer treatment may affect your fertility and what options are available to you, consider asking your doctor these questions, according to the National Cancer Institute:
- Could my treatment lead to infertility?
- Are there other recommended cancer treatments that might not cause fertility problems?
- Which fertility preservation options would you advise for me?
- What fertility preservation options are available at this hospital? At a fertility clinic?
- Would you recommend a fertility specialist (such as a reproductive endocrinologist) that I could talk with to learn more?
- What are the chances that my fertility will return after treatment?
Impact Cancer Can Have on the Family
It's important for cancer warriors to know they have a strong support group behind them before and after treatment. SurvivorNet experts say it helps them alleviate anxiety and depression as cancer treatments become more intense over time, or when they adjust to a new normal afterward.
Sometimes the support can come from a supportive spouse or partner or a parent caring for a child diagnosed with cancer.
Young family members such as children can also serve as motivation for cancer warriors, as was the case for Tarek El Moussa while battling his cancers. He had two young children with his previous wife during that time.
As stressful as battling cancer can be on the patient, their family may also feel the impact. Partners and caregivers can also feel the brunt of a cancer battle, as famed weatherman Al Roker's wife, Deborah Roberts, can attest to during his bout with prostate cancer.
WATCH: Showing Support When it Matters Most.
"When he got home after the doctor's, we went upstairs and had a moment, and he said, 'It's cancer.' I just lost it," Roberts told "People" Magazine.
"I grabbed him and started crying," she continued. "It was very emotional for me because you let your mind go there: What if he's not going to be here with me much longer?"
If you are a caregiver of a cancer warrior, it is important to maintain your own mental and physical health as well.
"Caregiving is the most important job in the universe, because you are there through the highs and lows," Julie Bulger manager of patient and family-centered care at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center told SurvivorNet.
"You are there to support your loved one, to manage all of the daily tasks as everything is changing in your life," Bulger added.
Caregivers must also watch out for "caregiver burnout" where stress, anger, fatigue and illness emerges from putting another person's needs ahead of your own.
Caregivers who find themselves struggling to care for a cancer warrior should seek out a therapist, or a support group of their own either online or in-person.
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