Breast Cancer Survivor Rita Wilson, Wife Of Tom Hanks, Was Once ‘Very Uncomfortable’ About Questioning ‘Real Housewives’ Star Peggy Sulahian’s Got About Cancer
Breast Cancer Survivor Rita Wilson, Wife Of Tom Hanks, Was Once ‘Very Uncomfortable’ About Questioning ‘Real Housewives’ Star Peggy Sulahian’s Got About Cancer
Cancer Survivor Rita Wilson's Support for 'Real Housewives' Peggy Sulahian
Breast cancer survivor Rita Wilson, 66, who previously battled breast cancer, once felt “uncomfortable” about the questioning “Real Housewives of Orange County” star Peggy Sulahian received from co-stars after her cancer diagnosis.
Sulahian was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017 and underwent a double mastectomy (removal of both breasts). It came as a shock to her co-stars because she initially said doctors “didn’t find anything.”
But Wilson had empathy for Sulahian’s situation, highlighting that a cancer journey can be filled with differing information.
Sulahian said her mother died of breast cancer when she was 21 years old, and she had testing done to determine her genetic risks of developing the cancer too.
Mutations in BRCA genes can increase a woman’s risk of developing several cancer, including breast cancer. Genetic tests can determine if you are positive or negative for the mutation.
Actress, singer and breast cancer survivor Rita Wilson, 66, knows how sensitive it can be to face cancer, after being treated for breast cancer in 2015. So when “Real Housewives of Orange County” star Peggy Sulahian received some criticism from her co-stars about how she revealed her own cancer news, Wilson came to her defense.
Sulahian, 49, Bravos’ 100th Housewife who only lasted on the show for one season, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017 after her doctor found a lump. At the time, she kept the news of her cancer quiet, as she was coping with her father’s death, and underwent a double mastectomy (removal of both breasts).
The mom of three’s health journey came as a shock to her co-stars because she had previously told them that her doctors “didn’t find anything.”
Her co-stars then questioned her situation and what was actually true, calling her “confusing.”
Speaking on a 2017 episode of “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen,” according to PEOPLE, Wilson said in defense of Sulahian, “I was very uncomfortable about it because I am a breast cancer survivor.”
The actress, who has been married to beloved actor Tom Hanks since 1988, highlighted how cancer journey’s can come with lots of differing information.
Actors Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
Wilson explained to Cohen, “I was initially misdiagnosed and a very dear friend of mine said, ‘You have to go get a second opinion on your pathology,’ and that came back cancerous.
“If she [Sulahian] didn't initially feel or was told that perhaps she didn't have cancer, it's not necessarily true until you get the pathology tested, so I felt that that was really unfair,” Wilson said of the way Sulahian’s co-stars reacted to her treatment.
Sulahian, who has since been declared “cancer-free,” just like Wilson, told Bravo’s “The Daily Dish” that she regretted telling her co-stars about her cancer.
Meanwhile, Sulahian later urged others in a BravoTV blog, “Please stay on top of your appointments in order to dodge this terrible disease. I want to emphasize that testing negative on the BRCA gene does NOT guarantee being free of cancer.”
Sulahian said her mother died of breast cancer when she was 21 years old, and she had testing done to determine her genetic risks of developing the cancer too.
Mutations in BRCA genes can increase a woman’s risk of developing several cancer, including breast cancer. Genetic tests can determine if you are positive or negative for the mutation.
Some women who test positive for a BRCA mutation opt to undergo preventive surgeries to reduce their risk as much as possible. Notably, actress Angelina Jolie, 48, had a preventive mastectomy and hysterectomy (removal of part or all of the uterus, often along with the cervix) after learning she had this mutation. And journalist Jenna Wolfe, 49, recently underwent both procedures as well after testing positive for a BRCA mutation.
“Putting your life in the hands of a reconstructive surgeon isn't easy. It's a long healing process mentally and physically, but completely worth not living the rest of your life in fear,” she added.
“I'm currently considering becoming active in the cancer communities, in order to offer my advice, hear more stories, and provide emotional support for women encountering the roadblock in their life.”
Rita Wilson’s Cancer Battle
Rita Wilson was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015. The actress and singer’s specific diagnosis was invasive lobular carcinoma, a type of cancer named for its point of origin: the lobules.
Invasive lobular carcinoma begins in the milk-producing glands, called lobules, of the breast, and may spread to other areas of the body.
Treatment options for breast cancer include surgery, such as a mastectomy or lumpectomy (the removal of the tumor and a small amount of surrounding tissue), as well as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormone therapy and immunotherapy (which harnesses the body’s own immune system to fight the cancer).
Wilson underwent a double mastectomy (like Sulahian did).
“A double mastectomy typically takes about two hours for the cancer part of the operation, the removing of the tissue,” Dr. Elisa Port, Chief of Breast Surgery at Mount Sinai Health System, tells SurvivorNet.
“The real length, the total length of the surgery, can often depend on what type of reconstruction [a patient] has.”
Both Wilson and Sulahian had their breasts reconstructed.
WATCH: What Happens During a Double Mastectomy?
“Breast reconstruction is a restoration of a woman's form and her sense of self,” Dr. Andrea Pusic, Chief of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Brigham and Women's Hospital, told SurvivorNet in an earlier interview.
There are many different options and techniques available for reconstruction from implants to using a woman's tissue and choices about when to get the reconstruction meaning immediate (at the time of mastectomy) or delayed (which could be months, or even years later).
All these different techniques are “getting close to that goal of letting a woman be herself again” and putting the cancer behind her, Dr. Pusic said.
After undergoing treatment, Wilson revealed she was “cancer free” in a Twitter post.
Understanding BRCA and Genetic Risk
According to the American Society of Clinical Oncology, germline mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes (which Sulahian tested negative for) increase a woman's risk of developing hereditary breast or ovarian cancers and a man's risk of developing hereditary prostate or breast cancers.
They also increase the risk of pancreatic cancer and melanoma in women and men. Genetic testing is one way to understand your inherited risk of developing certain cancers.
“Genetic testing is an exploding area, and it started out with a very narrow field of women and men who were recommended to have it based on certain risk factors, family history of breast cancer or other cancers and also ethnic backgrounds,” Dr. Elisa Port, a surgical oncologist at Mount Sinai, previously told SurvivorNet.
“We now feel that casting a wider net with genetic testing is probably very prudent because finding out that one has a cancer predisposition gene can definitely change their course, their risk for cancer and what they might want to do about it.”
There are many different gene mutations that can raise your of certain cancers, we’re focusing on the BRCA mutation as it pertains to Sulahian’s case.
BRCA, itself, is actually two genes (BRCA1 and BRCA2). BRCA1 (BReast CAncer gene 1) and BRCA2 (BReast CAncer gene 2) are genes that produce proteins that help repair damaged DNA, according to the National Cancer Institute.
Everyone is born with two copies of each of these genes one inherited from each parent. If either parent carries a BRCA gene mutation, there's a 50-50 chance the child is carrying it as well.
When these tumor suppressor genes have certain mutations, or changes, cancer can develop raising men and women's risk level for breast cancer as well as several other cancers, most notably ovarian cancer.
“If a woman has one of these mutations the genetic BRCA1 and (BRCA)2 mutations, it puts her at basically the highest quantifiable risk for getting breast cancer,” Dr. Port explained. “We typically say between the 60 (percent) and 80 percent range.”
Questions to Ask Your Doctor
If you're concerned about your risk of developing breast cancer, here are some questions you may consider asking your doctor:
What members of my family are related to my risk of developing breast cancer?
What tests are available to determine my genetic risk of developing breast cancer?
What do these test results mean?
If I test positive for a BRCA mutation, what treatment options are available to me?
Can you help me weight the pros and cons of having a preventive mastectomy?
What can I do to prepare for a double mastectomy?
What happens before and after the procedure?
For reconstruction, what are the benefits of using implants over my own tissue and vice versa?
What should I know about implants should I opt for preventative surgery?
What will recovery look like after the procedure?
What kind of surveillance is required after the surgery?
Having Support Makes a Difference
When someone is dealing with cancer, having a strong support system always helps. Your support system can be a partner, friend, family member, or someone you've met that's battling a similar health condition.
In the end, support during a health struggle has many benefits. While coping with your diagnosis, your emotions may swing from anxiety to anger to depression and beyond. Your support system can help you navigate those feelings.
Having people around to help with everyday chores is another way your support system can help you day-to-day. If you've undergone rounds of chemotherapy, which can leave you feeling tired, your friend or family member handling dinner plans can make all the difference.
New York-based psychiatrist Dr. Lori Plutchik understands the emotional step of coping with a diagnosis and forming a support group to help you along. She recommends the following three steps for anyone who just found out they had cancer.
Seek additional support if you need it. This might mean speaking to a mental health professional or finding a support group to join.
If needed, find a mental health professional who has experience helping people dealing with things like cancer.
Make sure your care team stays connected. Your care team may include your friends, loved ones, therapist, and doctors.
