Finding Joy With Loved Ones After & During a Cancer Battle
- Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Camille Grammer, 55, is cherishing life’s special moments as she watches her children grow into adults after beating endometrial cancer in 2013.
- Following her diagnosis of stage 2 endometrial cancer, a type of uterine cancer, Grammer underwent a radical hysterectomy, surgery that removed her uterus and reproductive organs.
- The impact of new combination therapies on advanced endometrial cancer is a significant breakthrough for treating the disease.
- For cancer patients, or people like Grammer, who have beat cancer, spending quality time with your children or other family members, is a perfect way to let out emotions or to just simply enjoy life.
- Licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Marianna Strongin says having people by your side during and after an “arduous chapter” of your life can be very beneficial.
- “Studies have found consistently that loneliness is a significant risk factor for physical and mental illnesses and the trajectory of recovery,” Dr. Strongin wrote in a column for SurvivorNet. “Therefore, it will be important that you surround yourself with individuals who care and support you throughout your treatment.”
The mom of two, daughter Mason Olivia Grammer, 22, and son Jude Gordon Grammer, who turned 20 this week, often shares heartwarming photos of her family on social media. Just this week she posted a collage of memories on her Instagram page, to commemorate her son’s farewell to his teenage years.
Read MoreGrammer captioned the post, “Happy 20th Birthday my son. @jude.grammer I have treasured all of your twenty years. You are a joy in my life. I love you very much.”View this post on Instagram
The lead photo featured Grammer, appearing to be on vacation, smiling while standing in between a much younger Jude and Mason. The images then show her beloved kids in more recent events, like Mason seen on a golf course, and on a family getaway in Disney.
Grammer’s love for her children is certainly seen across her Instagram page, as she previously shared a heartfelt post on his 16th birthday, writing, “A Very Happy 16th Birthday to my son Jude! Jude I love you so much! You are a smart, funny, empathic and caring young man. I am so proud of you!
“Keep being you my son. You make me laugh though difficult times and your kindness and your laugh is infectious. You will do great this year at Salisbury Academy. Pics from our week in NJ visiting my parents and Hawaii. We packed and prepared for his second year of high school. He’s ready to move into his dorm next week. Miss you already Jude. ”
Back in May, Grammer also celebrated her daughter graduating college, just one day before Mother’s Day.
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“Congratulations to my lovely daughter! @mason.grammer. I’m so proud of you. Much joy in all you do. I love you so much!” she wrote alongside a handful of photos from her daughter’s big day.
In yet another sweet post, Grammer also shared a throwback photo of her children back in 2020, writing alongside it, “My little ones aren’t so little anymore.
“They tower over me haha.”
Grammer has also been seen taking her daughter with her to “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” events, like Kyle Richards annual White Party.
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She captioned a recap post from the party, “Kyle’s famous White Party tonight on #RHOBH I was happy to have my daughter and husband with me.I showed Mason a screen shot of us walking into the party and she said ‘Omg! How fun. For half a second ywahhhh!’ Haha.
“It was a larger than life venue, I kind of miss the more intimate house parties. This party was impressive. We had fun! I filmed more than was shown this season. I filmed a scene catching up with Kyle at her house. Just me and her and yes Mauricio was there. We talked about a lot of things but it never aired. Oh well. That’s show biz.”
We’re delighted Grammer is enjoying life with her loved ones, especially after battling cancer. Something many cancer warriors can take inspiration from.
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Camille Grammer’s Endometrial Cancer
Camille Grammer has survived two cancer diagnoses: endometrial cancer in 2013 and skin cancer in 2017.
After finding out she had stage 2 endometrial cancer, a type of uterine cancer, Grammer underwent a radical hysterectomy, surgery that removed her uterus and reproductive organs.
How Doctors Recognize and Diagnose Different Types of Endometrial Cancer
Following the procedure, Grammer’s rep told Us Weekly at the time, “The surgery went very well and she is expected to make a complete recovery following a significant recuperation period.”
The rep also explained that Grammer “was at elevated risk due to genetic issues and has been diligent about regular check-ups and monitoring which explains the early detection and rapid treatment.”
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Expert Endometrial Cancer Resources
- Endometrial Cancer — Choosing The Right Doctor
- ‘The Google Earth of Endometrial Cancer’ — a New, Molecular Snapshot Could Lead to Better Treatment of the Disease
- Advanced or Recurrent Endometrial Cancer Patients Have New Hopeful Combination Therapy Option
- Chemotherapy Can Play A Vital Role In Treating Advanced and Aggressive Endometrial Cancers
- Endometrial Cancer — How to Spot the Signs And Symptoms Earlier
- Endometriosis Vs. Endometrial Cancer — What’s the Difference?
- How Serious is My Illness? ‘Staging’ Endometrial Cancer
- How is Immunotherapy Used for Advanced or Recurrent Endometrial Cancer?
- There are Treatment Options For Early Endometrial Cancer and Beyond
For her skin cancer scare, Grammer was diagnosed with a common type called squamous cell carcinoma, which was thankfully caught relatively early and she was declared in remission after going through surgery.
Understanding Endometrial Cancer & Treatment Advances For The Disease
Endometrial cancer first forms in the inner lining of the uterus, called the endometrium, according to the American Cancer Society.
“Endometrial cancer starts when cells in the endometrium (the inner lining of the uterus) start to grow out of control. Cells in nearly any part of the body can become cancer, and can spread to other parts of the body,” the ACS explains.
“The uterus is a hollow organ, normally about the size and shape of a medium-sized pear. The uterus is where a fetus grows and develops when a woman is pregnant.”
During a woman’s menstrual cycle, the hormone estrogen causes the endometrium to thicken and, if there is no pregnancy, the hormone progesterone causes the endometrial lining to shed and become the menstrual flow.
Meanwhile, treatment for this cancer varies depending on the stage of the disease, the patient’s overall health, and other factors.
Treatment options could be surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and immunotherapy.
RELATED: Endometrial Cancer: Overview
Dr. Jennifer Mueller, a gynecologic surgeon at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, explains how surgery can help determine treatment path.
Meanwhile, there is new hope for advanced endometrial cancer. The impact of new combination therapies on advanced endometrial cancer is a significant breakthrough for treating the disease. Patients are living longer, healthier lives.
“For a long time, patients with early-stage endometrial cancer generally do very well with a combination of surgery, maybe some radiotherapy,” says Dr. Shannon Westin, a professor in the department of gynecologic oncology and reproductive medicine at the University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX.
Exciting New Combination Therapy Gives Hope To Women With Advanced Endometrial Cancer
According to Westin, the latest treatments combine immunotherapy with standard chemotherapy plus a drug that prevents cancer cells from fixing their own DNA.
The results are encouraging, especially for patients who have late-stage endometrial cancer or their disease has come back.
“However, there’s a population of patients that are diagnosed at a later stage, stage three or four, or that have their cancer come back after initial therapy. And those patients have had a really hard time,” she adds to SurvivorNet.
The new combo involves two drugs:
- Durvalumab (brand name IMFINZI): As an immunotherapy drug, it powers up the body’s immune system so it can better identify and attack cancer cells. Doctors often use durvalumab alongside chemotherapy.
- Olaparib (brand name LYNPARZA): This PARP inhibitor, a type of drug that helps treat some cancers by blocking an enzyme called PARP that helps repair damaged DNA in cells. Olaparib destroys cancer cells, especially cells that already have trouble repairing their DNA. It is often, but not always, used as an add-on to durvalumab.
The combo treatment hits cancer with a double whammy by boosting the body’s immune response against cancer cells while also disrupting the cancer’s DNA repair mechanisms.
“The combination of durvalumab and chemotherapy, with or without olaparib, could redefine the standard care for advanced endometrial cancer, providing new hope for patients who previously had limited options,” Dr. Westin explains.
Enjoying Life After Cancer Like Camille Grammer
For cancer patients, or people like Grammer, who have beat cancer, spending time with your children or other family members is an ideal way to let out emotions or to just simply enjoy life.
Finding Joy After Cancer Turns Your Life Upside-Down
Cancer doesn’t have to stop you in your tracks. In the case of Evelyn Reyes-Beato, she says she was really thrown through a loop when she was diagnosed with colon cancer.
Before her diagnosis, she was planning to go back to school – but the diagnoses completely threw her off track. “When I got cancer, I was like f*ck that, I’m not going to waste what’s left of my life going to school,” she previously told SurvivorNet.
“If I’m gonna die, I’m not gonna die at school. I’m gonna die on a beach, I’m gonna die in the Bahamas, in Paris, in Australia … somewhere, but I’m not gonna die in school.”
Eventually, Evelyn realized that she could still achieve her goals, even with cancer. She found the things that brought her joy in life – “my husband, my doggies, my brother, my family” – and kept on living for that joy. And she ended up going back to school as well.
Sometimes Bad Things Happen — Enjoying Life, Even With Cancer
Meanwhile, accepting that cancer is something that just happens, and it’s not your fault, is a big part of coming to terms with the disease. Breast cancer survivor Heather Maloney also spoke with SurvivorNet in an earlier interview, where she said that simply trying to enjoy her life, even on chemo days, made a big difference when she was facing the disease.
“Find moments of gratitude, and you will get through it,” Heather said. “Not everybody does … but we all do eventually see an ending to it. Life is hard for everybody, but I’m able to more readily and easily access a level of gratitude about being alive … I’m lucky to be alive today.”
Whether you’re a cancer patient or a cancer survivor it’s important to remember that your mental state can actually impact your success as a patient or how you live your life.
“I’m pretty good at telling what kind of patients are going to still have this attitude and probably going to live the longest, even with bad, bad disease,” Dr. Zuri Murrell, a colorectal surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, previously told SurvivorNet. “And those are patients who, they have gratitude in life.”
Also, Dr. Dana Chase, a gynecologic oncologist at Arizona Oncology, advocates for cancer warriors to prioritize their mental health. She noted that emotional well-being has been studied as a factor in patient outcomes.
“We know from good studies that emotional health is associated with survival, meaning better quality of life is associated with better outcomes,” Dr. Chase told SurvivorNet in an earlier interview.
“So, working on your emotional health, your physical well-being, your social environment [and] your emotional well-being are important and can impact your survival. If that’s related to what activities you do that bring you joy, then you should try to do more of those activities.”
Support Through Cancer
Licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Marianna Strongin says having people by your side, like Grammer has had during and after her “arduous chapter” cancer chapter of her life, can be very beneficial.
“Studies have found consistently that loneliness is a significant risk factor for physical and mental illnesses and the trajectory of recovery,” she wrote in a column for SurvivorNet. “Therefore, it will be important that you surround yourself with individuals who care and support you throughout your treatment.”
That being said, it’s very important to know your limits on what you can handle during treatment.
“Going through treatment is a very vulnerable and emotionally exhausting experience,” she wrote. “Noticing what you have strength for and what is feeling like too much [is] extremely important to pay attention to as you navigate treatment.”
In a previous chat with SurvivorNet, psychiatrist Dr. Lori Plutchik added that some cancer warriors may need to look beyond their existing relationships to find the support they need.
Seeking Support: Dr. Plutchik On What To Do First, Following a Cancer Diagnosis
“Some people don’t need to go outside of their family and friends circle. They feel like they have enough support there,” Dr. Plutchik said. “But for people who feel like they need a little bit more, it is important to reach out to a mental health professional.”Seeking Support: Dr. Plutchik shares the first 3 things to do after a cancer diagnosis
Dr. Plutchik said it’s best to find a mental health professional with experience aiding people undergoing cancer treatment. “Make sure that the mental health professional that you work it is reaching out, with your consent, to the rest of your team, to the oncologist, to the surgeon,” she said. “It can also be helpful to reach out to family, friends, and any other caretakers that may be involved in the person’s treatment.”
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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