Published Sep 16, 2020

Actress & Ovarian Cancer Survivor Cobie Smulders, 38, Is Living the American Dream: Finally a U.S. Citizen After 16 Years

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Another Milestone

Actress Cobie Smulders announces she is an official U.S. citizen.
Smulders was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2006 at just 25-years-old, and now is in remission.
She’s lived in the United States for 16 years, and has made memories such as getting married and raising a family.

Actress Cobie Smulders is officially a United States citizen, and is sharing all the memories she’s made living in this country. Over the past 16 years, she’s gotten married, raised a family, and overcame a serious personal battle by beating ovarian cancer at just 25-years-old.

Smulders, 38, announced that she has officially gained U.S. citizenship, and has the papers to prove it. She shared a photo of her showing off the paperwork at a Department of Homeland Security office, posing in front of the logo. Even though we can’t see it through her mask, we suspect she’s smiling with pride.

“I have been living in the US for 16 years now working and paying taxes, making little humans, creating a family and making this Country my home,” Smulders wrote.

All of those achievements are certainly memorable, but Smulders is leaving something out. The actress was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2006, while filming How I Met Your Mother. Every cancer diagnosis is a shock, but for Smulders, this disease was especially surprising since ovarian cancer typically appears in women after menopause. She underwent multiple removal surgeries for treatment, and in 2019, announced she was in remission. In some cases, women are unable to have children after going through ovarian cancer treatment, but Smulders was an exception. In in May 2009, she gave birth to her first child Shaelyn, and in January 2015, her second child Janita was born.

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Life After Cancer

Battling cancer is of course a difficult process, but survivors have said that the opportunity to make new memories has made the journey completely worth it. Serious health struggles can really put life into perspective, and for some people, they never dreamed they’d be able to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, or other special occasions after a diagnosis.

At the time when Elizabeth Johnston was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, she was trying to get pregnant. For treatment, she needed to get her ovaries removed, and at the time she and her husband were trying to retrieve eggs so they could have a baby. However, while going through chemotherapy, they decided to stop and she later went through a hysterectomy. Despite these numerous surgeries, Johnston and her husband were able to still welcome a new addition to their family.

“Ovarian cancer doesn’t mean you can’t have a child,” Johnston tells SurvivorNet. “Before [the hysterectomy], we started the process of adoption, and we brought home our daughter in July. I mean, it’s just amazing. I get up in the morning, and there’s this sweet, smiley, lovely, cuddly person, and yeah, I wouldn’t have gotten to her, if not for this process. I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Ovarian cancer survivor Elizabeth Johnston welcomed a new addition to her family after surgery

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