Women Supporting Women
- Actress Halle Berry, 54, posted a super sweet tribute to 24-year-old Zendaya, who just had a recent Golden Globe snub after making history as the youngest Outstanding Lead Actress to win an Emmy.
- Zendaya has been supportive of the breast cancer community, and raised awareness while she competed on Dancing with the Stars in 2013 while her grandmother was battling the disease.
- A support system is vital when going through cancer, or any other difficult time. Cancer survivor Tracy White told SurvivorNet about the incredible things her community did for her like meal trains and taking her son during chemo, says “I couldn’t have done it without all of them.”
Halle Berry, 54, has been in the hotspot for nearly two decades since winning a 2002 Academy Award for Monster’s Ball, and proves she has no problem passing off the torch to fellow actress Zendaya with her tribute to the 24-year-old talent. Berry gives credit where credit is due, and that is acknowledging a young force who has been making waves in young Hollywood ever since her Disney debut.
Read More“@zendaya my girl is such a light and inspiration to many. In 2020, she broke grounds by becoming the youngest woman to win an Emmy Award in the Outstanding Lead Actress category,” Berry writes. “Mark my words when I say that this is just the beginning of many barriers she'll continue to knock down. Continue to pave the way and advocate for others … and most importantly, continue to be unapologetically you. #CrownHer.” Perhaps Berry felt compelled to write the post due to Zendaya’s recent snub for a Golden Globe nomination last week, and fans appreciate the gesture.
Many women can feel threatened by younger stars in Hollywood (or everywhere), but Berry proves that she is not one to be catty (despite having played Catwoman in the 2004 film). This public form of acknowledgement and support is very uplifting to see, and even actor Jamie Foxx agrees! Foxx (who recently dated actress Katie Holmes, another Batman franchise star), chimed in on his friend’s page, saying, “Beautiful words and praise. You are legend.”
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As women, we need to lift each other up. It’s the sort of sisterhood that is also evident in the cancer community. We are stronger together as a team rather than as individuals, and no matter what industry you are in, or what you are battling, womenand mencan benefit from lifting each other up and having each other’s backs.
Why a Support System is Vital
We can all use a reminder to lift others up gracefully like Berry does with Zendaya. No matter what we are facing, we need a support system. Whether it’s family, or friends, a doctor, social worker, even a virtual hand to hold of someone we’ve never meant in person.
Tracy White, a cervical cancer survivor was diagnosed with Stage IV cervical cancer at 40 years old, which recurred four years later. “I had so many friends that stepped up,” White told SurvivorNet in a previous interview. Namely, a nurse and her best friend. “I had prayer groups in Ireland and Germany and Ohio, as well as my local community,” she said. The moms where my son went to school, they started a meal train so I didn’t have to worry about feeding my family.” They even took her son at 6am before their family was up, and on White’s chemo days. I couldn’t have done it without all of them.” Cancer is too heavy of a burden to carry all on your own. Don’t be afraid to ask for help as there is often more support out there than you think! With less stress, you can focus more on kicking cancer’s butt and your healing process.
A Cancer Survivor's Ode To Friends and Family ‘My Support System Helped Me Heal’
Picking Up the Phone
People going through cancer know that a doctor’s time is often limited since they’re helping so many other patients.
Survivor Annie Ellis was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at age 40. Ellis had broken down in tears while at the doctor. Her doctor, in order to make sure Ellis was receiving the extra support she needed, recommended a peer support network called SHARE. “He said, call these women,” Ellis previously told SurvivorNet.
“I called that help line, and I spoke with another survivor. And by the end of the call, I was filled with so much hope because here was somebody who went through the same things I went through and was alive.” Sometimes all it takes is a phone call to feel infinitely better when struggling.
"Call These Women, They're Great" Survivor Annie Ellis And The Support Groups That Helped Her Through Cancer
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