Julia Gets Her Jab
- Actress and breast cancer survivor Julia Louis-Dreyfus, 60, shared a picture of herself getting her second shot of the vaccine and said she’s “Fully jabbed! Fully grateful!”
- Louis-Dreyfus was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017; she underwent chemotherapy and a double mastectomy to treat her disease.
- Cancer patients and survivors are encouraged to consult with their doctor regarding the COVID-19 vaccine.
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For cancer patients getting the COVID-19 vaccine, there are certain considerations to take into account, such as where you are in your treatment plan and which vaccine is best for you. That said, any vaccine is better than no vaccine, Dr. Bob Keenan, chief medical officer at Moffitt Cancer Center, tells us. "We strongly believe from a cancer perspective that there are almost no cancer patients that we would say should turn down the vaccine," he says in an earlier interview.
Related: Which COVID-19 Vaccine Pfizer, Moderna or J&J is Best For Cancer Patients?
"There may be times during their treatment when getting the vaccine is not the right move, but at some point, virtually all cancer patients, it would be reasonable to give them the vaccine and we would strongly encourage them to get the vaccine. And I think that's a critical point," he says.
When you’re able to book an appointment, speak with your doctor to develop a vaccination plan that best suits you.
5 COVID-19 Vaccine Questions Answered by Expert Physician
Julia’s Breast Cancer Journey & Cancer During COVID-19
Louis-Dreyfus was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer in 2017. She went through six rounds of chemotherapy, and a double mastectomy to treat her disease. Treatment options for breast cancer include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Louis-Dreyfus was admirably candid throughout her breast cancer journey, publicly discussing her disease and raising awareness around breast cancer in the process. We have no doubt that her candor helped others learn more about breast cancer and feel less alone if they were battling it, too.
Related: When Should You Consider a Mastectomy?
While Louis-Dreyfus is fully in the clear with cancer, it’s important for survivors, cancer patients, and people who have not been diagnosed with cancer to continue with scans and screenings. Screening tests like mammograms, colonoscopies and pap smears save lives.
Related: Breast Cancer: Overview
Dr. Elizabeth Comen, a medical oncologist specializing in treating breast cancer at Memorial Sloan Kettering, explains in an earlier interview, “So we know that cancer has not gone away just because we’re in the middle of a pandemic. We also know that some elective procedures and potentially preventative care– things like colonoscopies, and mammograms, and pap smears– may have been put off a couple months because we wanted to limit the number of people that were coming in to the hospital and also keep patients at home unless they really needed to leave.”
“But fortunately now that we have a little bit of a better hold on how to protect patients, how to disinfect, how to clean in between patients and scatter so that we’re not crowding our waiting rooms, it’s really, really important to remember to talk to your doctor about your screening mammogram or any other preventative tests that you may need,” Dr. Comen says.
It's Important To Continue Cancer Screenings Through COVID-19
The Importance of Gratitude for Cancer Patients
We love Louis-Dreyfus’s attitude of gratitude at getting the vaccine. Having a positive attitude and feelings of gratefulness have been shown to, in some instances, improve the prognosis of people battling cancer. Dr. Zuri Murrell, a colorectal surgeon at Cedars-Sinai who helps people battling colon cancer says in an earlier interview, “My patients who thrive, even with stage 4 cancer, from the time that they, about a month after they’re diagnosed, I kind of am pretty good at seeing who is going to be OK.”
“Now doesn’t that mean I’m good at saying that the cancer won’t grow,” says Dr. Murrell. “But I’m pretty good at telling what kind of patient are going to still have this attitude and probably going to live the longest, even with bad, bad disease. And those are patients who, they have gratitude in life.”
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