Criscilla Anderson Displays Gratitude Throughout Colon Cancer Battle
- Earlier this year, Country Ever After star Criscilla Anderson announced that her cancer had returned and she was once again undergoing treatment.
- Anderson, wife to country singer Coffey Anderson, was originally diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in 2018.
- Throughout her treatment process, she has been candid with fans about her struggles, but also her determination to move on from the disease.
- Living with a sense of gratitude, which can help keep stress levels down, can make a big difference in how somebody handles cancer treatment.
Determined to take on the challenge with a positive attitude, Anderson took to Instagram to give her fans regular updates. “I’ll fight forever,” she wrote in a May 2022 post alongside a video or herself in a hospital bed.
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Living With Gratitude
Anderson has clearly chosen to live with gratitude amid her health struggles. You've probably heard the word gratitude thrown around here and there when discussing complex concepts. But living with gratitude is quite simple in its meaning. It means being thankful for what you have and showing appreciation in your day to day life and it can be really helpful for those struggling with health issues.
Dr. Zuri Murrell, a colorectal cancer surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, told SurvivorNet that his cancer patients who live with gratitude actually tend to handle treatment better.
Dr. Zuri Murrell explains why gratitude matter during cancer treatment.
One reason this phenomenon is often reported anecdotally could be due to the reduction in stress level. Stress and anxiety can lead to physical issues, and practicing gratitude can help get both under control.
"The patients who do well with cancer, they live life with that kind of gratitude, but in terms of everything," he explained. "They're grateful, not for cancer, but they're grateful for an opportunity to know that life is finite."
Treating Stage 4 Colon Cancer
Anderson was originally diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. She underwent chemotherapy which led to the shrinking of her tumors, she reported to fans.
In an earlier interview, NYU Langone Perlmutter Cancer Center's Dr. Paul Oberstein explained the goals of treatment for stage 4 colon cancer. He said that reducing the amount of cancer in the body and controlling it is the primary aim of treatment at this stage.
"When someone comes in with cancer that has spread outside the colon, it's called stage 4 colon cancer or metastatic colon cancer," Dr. Oberstein said. "The primary goal of therapy, and we discuss this in great detail with patients and their families, is to manage the cancer, is to try to control the cancer, to turn it into what we call a chronic disease, so to prevent it from growing, spreading, and causing problems."
Dr. Paul Oberstein explains treatment options for stage 4 colon cancer.
He added that treatment options are complicated and will depend on someone's unique circumstances. For stage 4 colon cancer, treatment options can include surgery, chemotherapy and immunotherapy treatments.
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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