(OPRAH.Com) – For over two decades, actress Christina Applegate has entertained audiences with her comedic performances.
After 11 hilarious seasons, Christina’s career branched out from the small screen as Kelly Bundy on the sitcom “Married with Children” to the big screen and Broadway during her teenage years.
In 2007, Christina landed the starring role on the acclaimed comedy series “Who?” After receiving nominations for Golden Globe and Emmy awards, her performance seemed triumphant, and her return to TV could not be ignored.
In my journey of life, there was a period of five weeks where I experienced a challenging time, as she mentioned. She quietly lived through those weeks without any work, as she mentioned. She states that living quietly was difficult, especially while dealing with the disease. Christina, who is now 36 years old, was first diagnosed with breast cancer. The news of her diagnosis in April 2008 was shocking and it silenced the laughter.
Now, Christina is going public with her personal battle to raise awareness among young women who may not think they’re at risk.
In 2007, doctors advised taking additional measures. Since she was 30, Christina claims she has been conscientious about receiving routine mammograms, being the offspring of a breast cancer conqueror.
“I receive an MRI,” she states. “My doctor conveyed that the mammograms were insufficient for me due to the density of my breasts,” she explained.
The excruciating wait commenced, and subsequently, physicians informed her that a biopsy was necessary. She states, “They discovered some unusual occurrences [in one breast].” Christina underwent her initial MRI examination, which yielded unsettling findings.
Christina, who is currently sitting and trembling, expresses, “At this moment, I am recollecting that specific instant.” She reveals, “[The physician stated], ‘It returned with a positive outcome.'” The approaching outcomes were always on Christina’s thoughts, yet she persisted in her work and the promotion of her sitcom. After a week, she received the dreaded phone call that every woman fears.
Christina went into survival mode immediately and held back tears as she explained to the doctors that it was only breast cancer she caught early at an early stage. Thankfully, she says.
“Now, I may have wanted surgery, and now I had to get it for myself. So, we now need to do the necessary things,” she says. “I’m a Sagittarius,” she says. Christina says she went to see a surgeon and an oncologist for her diagnosis after the day.
In lieu of chemotherapy, Christina was informed that she would require a six-week course of radiation therapy as the cancer was detected at an early stage. Additionally, within a week, doctors performed a lymph node biopsy to ascertain that the cancer had not metastasized. Consequently, Christina underwent her initial lumpectomy.
Is it advisable for you to undergo gene testing? Oprah.Com reported that the test for the BRCA gene, also referred to as the “breast cancer gene,” yielded a positive result. Subsequently, she received additional news that significantly impacted her life.
She expresses, “That kind of altered everything for me.” “Transitory was something radiation, and it wasn’t tackling the problem of this recurring or the possibility of it recurring in my left breast. At that juncture, I had to evaluate all my choices to some extent.”
Christina was presented with two choices: either undergo a double mastectomy or proceed with radiation therapy and undergo continuous testing for the remainder of her life.
Christina made the dramatic decision to have a bilateral mastectomy. “It came on really fast. I woke up and it just felt right, and one of those things was it,” she explains. “I just don’t want to keep putting that stuff in my body. I don’t want to have to deal with this again. I was just ready to let them go.”
She says, “I have made sure to capture close-up photographs of them from every angle, so that I can remember them fondly.” Before undergoing surgery, Christina says she staged her first nude photo shoot.
Going through a double mastectomy surgery was like opening floodgates for Christina. She says, “I told him that my decision was final and I met with my doctor.” Finally, on the day she met her surgeon, Christina’s tears spilled over.
Going through the process of mourning and grieving can be very painful, as she says “it can be very painful”. Christina went through surgery in July 2008, which left both emotional and physical scars.
“[The operation] took place in the 1970s, and the quality of the procedure was not very good during that time,” she explains. “Therefore, I had concerns about undergoing the surgery, fearing that it would be a terrible experience and that I would never feel comfortable with that aspect of myself again.” However, after conducting extensive research, she discovered that it is possible to achieve aesthetically pleasing results. Prior to her own surgery, Christina had only witnessed a mastectomy performed on her mother.”
Each day, she expresses that her loss is constantly on her mind, although she takes pride in her proactive choice. Christina explains that she currently has saline expanders in her body, which will eventually be replaced with new implants.
She states, “It doesn’t have the same sensation, and it’s difficult to hold your handbag.” “I weep at least once per day regarding it because it’s challenging to disregard it when you’re standing there in front of the reflective surface. When you glance downwards, it’s the initial object you observe… So you’re consistently reminded of this matter – this illness matter that you experienced.”
Christina expresses her gratitude, stating, “I am truly appreciative of that.” She shares, “In the other aspects of my life, I have adopted a highly forward-thinking approach.” Additionally, she experiences a sense of triumph in her battle against breast cancer. On a positive note, Christina affirms that she will no longer need to wear a bra.
Melissa, a Grammy-winning artist and breast cancer survivor, shared the lessons she learned during her fight for life. Christina says that Melissa reached out to friends and family, including Etheridge, in the days following her diagnosis.
Christina asserts, “‘Every action you take,’ consume you path the chance to transform this possess you that moment is This. You can experience pain through stress. You can experience pain through fear. It is an opportunity for you to adapt to things in a way that aligns with how you handle situations in life. It is an opportunity for you to adapt to things in a way that aligns with how you handle situations in life. Now is the time for you to begin anew and now is the time for you to begin anew. It is a blessing that what happened to you in your life, Christina, she said to me, is the first thing.”
Now is my opportunity to go out and fight as hard as I can for early detection. “Many people do not know that breast cancer happens to women in their 20s or at my age,” says Christina, a 36-year-old person with breast cancer. Looking at her health scare as a blessing.
Christina is determined to advocate for women’s access to MRIs and genetic testing, services that numerous insurance companies refuse to cover. She has come to realize that early detection does not necessarily rely on mammograms.
Christina says that her priorities completely shifted, and she is scared for her health. She says, “There’s a need and desire to make every single day count.” Even the small things, don’t say “sweat the small stuff.” Embrace, love, and cherish the animals, your friends, your loved ones, your spiritual journey, and your own joy. But at the end of the day, none of it matters.