Milestone After Cancer
- Actor Michael Douglas beat oral cancer 9 years ago and now is celebrating his 20-year anniversary with wife Catherine Zeta-Jones.
- A number of oral cancer diagnoses are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), an extremely common virus spread through sexual contact.
- The HPV vaccine, Gardasil, can help prevent both oral cancers as well as many others.
In honor of 20 incredible years with Zeta-Jones, Douglas shared a sweet photo of the two of them on their wedding day and recorded an audio clip about their love story. According to Douglas, he first laid eyes on Zeta-Jones during a screening of Zoro and was immediately in awe. A month later, while attending a film festival, Douglas finally got the opportunity to meet the actress face-to-face. While having casual drinks, Douglas made a startling declaration.
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Douglas was diagnosed with stage 4 squamous cell carcinoma (an oral cancer) in 2010 after visiting a doctor for a persistent sore throat. During the checkup, the physician found a tumor at the base of Douglas’ tongue. The actor went through radiation and chemotherapy treatments that year, and was later declared in remission. Since, Douglas has become an outspoken advocate for raising awareness about oral cancers, and it’s linked to the human papillomavirus (HPV).
Oral Cancer’s Link to HPV
HPV is an extremely common virus spread through kissing and/or sexual contact. Although it’s best-known for it’s link to cervical cancer diagnoses, it can also cause other types including head and neck, oral, anal, and penile cancers. HPV is responsible for 34,800 cases of cancer in the U.S. each year, but 90% of them can be prevented thanks to the HPV vaccine Gardasil.
Related: Should Children as Young as 9-Years-Old Get The HPV Vaccine?
“Both boys and girls should be vaccinated with HPV to prevent cervical cancer in women, throat cancer in men, as well as anal cancer in both men and women because those are HPV-related malignancies as well,” Dr. Ted Teknos, the scientific director of the Seidman Cancer Center, told SurvivorNet in a previous interview. “If you look at the percentage of patients who developed throat cancer, really, cancer of the tonsils and the base of the tongue, in the 80s compared to the 2010s, if you will, the rate of HPV-related head and neck cancers has gone up by 300%.”
Dr. Ted Teknos explains how the HPV vaccine can prevent certain types of cancers
Milestones Can Mean So Much
After cancer, special occasions may mean even more than they did in the past. Whether it’s a birthday, wedding, or in Douglas’ case, an anniversary, it’s so important to make new memories. Not only can they be very special to so many people, but they represent the huge achievement of beating cancer.
Chrissy Degennaro is the perfect example of how determination can help you appreciate milestones even more. Chrissy has been battling a rare blood cancer called multiple myeloma for 14 years, and was first diagnosed when she was 36-years-old. She had a 2-year-old son at the time, and once hearing the news, almost expected to not be able to see him enter kindergarten. However, she was determined to try as hard as possible, and went through 27 rounds of chemotherapy, two stem cell transplants, participated in a CAR T cell trial, and had two CAR T cell transplants over the next 14 years. In the end, it all paid off.
Related: I Got to Dance With My Daughter at Her Wedding: Steve Silverstein's Cancer Story
"You know, I do live one day at a time," Chrissy tells SurvivorNet. "Now, maybe I can go a week, a month, but things are looking pretty good. I'm able to be here for more milestones for my son, for more holidays, more birthdays. I do feel like I have had another chance at life."
Chrissy Degennaro focused on milestones during cancer treatment, and it paid off
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