Years before Marg Helgenberger took on the role of Catherine Willows on CBS’ wildly popular forensic investigation series “CSI,” the actress played a very different role — as caregiver to her mother during a brutal cancer battle.
In an exclusive interview with SurvivorNet, Helgenberger — who now stars in CBS’ “All Rise” and is an ambassador for Stand Up 2 Cancer — discloses that her mom, Kay, was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was in her mid-40s. Helgenberger herself was just 20 years old, and a college student at Northwestern.
Back then, she says, “sometimes those diagnoses were death sentences. Nowadays, the survival rate is so much higher.”
The actress says that while her mom, now 84, pulled through treatment with an absolutely incredible attitude, the diagnosis was difficult on the whole family — especially since she had to return for additional treatment after the mastectomy. They had found additional cancerous tissue in her other breast, Helgenberger says, and her mother’s lymph nodes also had to be removed.
“I never had seen my father break down before and cry,” the actress says, reflecting on the moments after they got the news the cancer had spread. “He was obviously just distraught and terrified that he was going to lose the love of his life and the mother of his children. … It was brutal.”
But, she says, “my mom is like the energizer bunny. She has an unstoppable spirit.”
The actress also says that her mom’s faith — she’s a devout Catholic — helped her to get through the toughest parts of her cancer journey. Her positivity was so contagious that her oncologist suggested she visit other women going through breast cancer treatment to brighten up their days, Helgenberger says.
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“She said, ‘Yea, OK, I can do this.’ She’d go around to each of these women, especially on chemo days. That was a bond that [was] unshakeable.”
Helgenberger and Stand Up 2 Cancer
Her mom’s incredible attitude, Helgenberger says, is what inspired her to get involved with cancer advocacy as an ambassador for Stand Up 2 Cancer, work she began over a decade ago. The nonprofit organization raises awareness and money for cancer research.
“It’s really dear to me,” Helgenberger says of the organization. “Everyone in the world is touched by cancer in some way, so everyone has the soft spot.”
Her passion for raising awareness, she says, comes from her experiences.
“When your parents, who are your everything from when you are a baby on up to adulthood, when they become sick at young ages … it just affects you in a different way. … It makes you much more aware and much more grateful for all the people in your life who are dear to you and all the things you’ve been blessed with.
“It just makes you a better person all around,” she continues. “Much more empathetic, more sympathetic, more caring.”
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