Breast Cancer Survivor Spotlight

Happy International Women’s Day, y’all! In honor of this wonderful holiday, we want to spotlight and celebrate three incredible ladies who have kicked breast cancer’s butt and continued thriving like a boss. This disease affects hundreds of thousands women a year, and these are just three examples of the bravery and strength it takes to be a survivor. 

Wanda Sykes: The Daring Decision

The phenomenal comedian is not only hilarious, she is also incredibly smart and brave. At the age of 47, Wanda Sykes found out that she has DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ) when she went in for a cosmetic breast reduction surgery. She was incredibly lucky that her diagnosis came at a very early time — DCIS is essentially stage-zero cancer and should be very easy to treat. However, Wanda was not about to take any chances with her health. 

In her revealing interview with Ellen Degeneres, she said, “But cancer is cancer. I had the choice of, you can go back every three months and get it checked. Have a mammogram, MRI every three months just to see what it’s doing. But, I’m not good at keeping on top of stuff. I’m sure I’m overdue for an oil change and a teeth cleaning already.” She also knew that her family has a history of breast cancer. All of this led Wanda to make a very difficult decision: to have a bilateral mastectomy, removing both breasts to completely eliminate the risk of breast cancer. 

Wanda’s early diagnosis, her awareness of her own personality and family history, and her decisiveness likely saved her life. Now, she is doing better than ever, and she is determined to spread awareness about the importance of preventative care and early detection in battling this terrible disease. 

Sheryl Crow: The Early Action Advocate

In 2006, the Grammy-winning singer Sheryl Crow was 44 years old; she led a very healthy lifestyle — had a great diet, exercised regularly, and had no family history of serious disease. So, when a scheduled mammogram came up on the calendar, she was actually considering skipping it. Fortunately, she did not, and her visit to her doctor resulted in early detection of stage-zero breast cancer. 

Sheryl’s diagnosis was not very dire, so her doctor advised her to come back for a check-up in six months. Fortunately, she did not. She jumped into action, seeked a second opinion, and got a lumpectomy and radiation treatments to stop the cancer before it spreads. The minimally invasive surgery and the seven weeks of radiation saved Sheryl’s breasts and possibly her life. She has been in remission for sixteen years now, and she has made it her mission to spread awareness of the importance of early detection and action in the battle against breast cancer. 

Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, routine healthcare has become more problematic. This concerns Sheryl, who knows first-hand how a timely diagnosis can make all the difference. She has said that, “Although we’re going through a pandemic right now and we’re all living through this uncertain time, it’s really important for women over the age of 40 to continue to be diligent about getting your mammogram.” (For an effective alternative to mammograms, check out koninghealth.com!)

Dame Maggie Smith: Victory at Any Age

A true representative of British acting royalty, the 88 year old Dame Maggie Smith has a story of strength to inspire us all. Earlier in life, Maggie discovered a lump in her breast, but it thankfully turned out to be benign. More recently, she was not as lucky. In 2008, while filming the final two movies of the Harry Potter series, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. 

Maggie’s chemotherapy treatments were absolutely brutal. She was terrified and exhausted, losing all her hair and feeling truly terrible. She actually began to think that this was the end, given her age and the harshness of the treatment. Nevertheless, she persevered. Not only did she survive through the difficulties of chemo, she did it all while working on an intense film set, portraying a character who has been the beacon of strength and admiration for millions of women across the world. 

It is with great relief that we can now say that Dame Maggie Smith has beaten breast cancer and has received the all-clear from her doctors. She is still diligent about monitoring herself, as well as living her best life and continuing to inspire us all.