Spreading Love
- Actor and throat cancer survivor Val Kilmer, 61, is spreading love and humor on Valentine’s Day with 14 virtual cards for his fans of all the characters he has played. “I've cooked up 14 digital Valentine cards to help you feel the love,” Kilmer says on Instagram.
- Kilmer privately battled throat cancer (after a 2014 diagnosis) until fellow actor and cancer survivor Michael Douglas raised some questions about the Top Gun star’s health at a press event, and then later apologized.
- A common cause of throat cancer: Dr. Jessica Geiger of the Cleveland Cancer Center tells SurvivorNet that both men and women can get cancer from human papilloma virus, or HPV, which is a sexually transmitted virus. "The strains of HPV that cause cervical cancer are the same strains of HPV that cause throat cancer.”
Although the actor was born strictly as “Val,” Val is often short for the name Valentine.
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Kilmer repeats the caption in the rest of the posts, numbering them all the way up to #14, with each virtual “card” a different character he has played in his films like his portrayal of Jim Morrison in The Doors, his version of Batman in Batman Forever, Doc Holliday in his legendary film Tombstone, and Chris Knight in 80s science flick Real Genius. Each card is digitally decorated with animated hearts and flowers over his photos/characters, with other additions like bats on his Batman post, and a crying lizard with a crown on it’s head on his post of himself as Jim Morrison.
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For Kilmer’s last post, the adorably eccentric star writes, “All kitten aside, I hope y'all had as much fun with these, as I did,” with animated kittens sprinkled over a photo from his film The Saint (including a cat jamming on piano).
He concludes with an important reminder: “Everyday we have the opportunity to spread love! Happy Valentine's Day!!” and tells his fans to “get on with having the most wonderful day.”
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Val’s Throat Cancer Battle
Perhaps Val’s biggest role to date is that of a survivor. Kilmer privately battled throat cancer after getting diagnosed in 2014, as media and fans constantly questioned his health. The Los Angeles native confirmed his diagnosis in 2017. Actor and fellow cancer survivor Michael Douglas had initially mentioned to press that Kilmer wasn’t doing too well, but then later apologized, according to a post on Kilmer’s Facebook page at the time.
Michael Douglas wrote me a nice note apologizing for suggesting to the press overseas, I “wasn’t doing too well…” and…
Posted by Val Kilmer on Tuesday, November 15, 2016
Kilmer spoke with Good Morning America last year and said, "I feel a lot better than I sound, but I feel wonderful," Kilmer said. The actor’s speech was affected by a tracheotomy, which is a surgical procedure that creates an opening through the neck into the windpipe to allow access to a breathing tube. "My lungs and throat swelled up as well," he had said. In his 2020 memoir I’m Your Huckleberry, the author wrote, “I have been healed of cancer for over four years now, and there has never been any recurrence. I am so grateful.
Throat Cancer Causes
Although we cannot speculate on what may have led to Kilmer’s throat cancer, it is important to stay educated on the risk factors.
Throat cancer can sometimes be caused by tobacco and alcohol use, and also by the human papilloma virus, or HPV, which is usually associated with women and can be a cause of cervical cancer. However, this sexually transmitted infection can also affect men, and the virus has been proven to cause throat cancer.
Dr. Jessica Geiger of the Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center previously told SurvivorNet that both men and women can get cancer from HPV. "The strains of HPV that cause cervical cancer are the same strains of HPV that cause throat cancer. The average patient with HPV-related throat cancer tends to be males in their 40s or 50s, who were never a smoker, or just a very light tobacco user."
Get the Facts: HPV Can Cause Cancer in Men Too
Humor and Cancer
Laughter is often generally described as the best medicine. But the cancer community can benefit from this concept tenfold. Jesus Trejo, a stand-up comedian and cancer caregiver, reminded SurvivorNet that people dealing with cancer need to laugh. “Laugh at yourself. Don’t take yourself seriously,” he said, gently reminding that things are already bad. “Because once you do that, it’s a game changer … the effects of it just reverberate through your body. And it can change an already bad situation into a better one.”
Stand-Up Comedian & Cancer Caregiver, Jesus Trejo Reminds Us That 'Laughter is a Game-Changer'
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