HGTV’s ‘Love It or List It’ Star Hilary Farr, 71, Enjoys SoulmatesPuff & Suki- Her Pet Therapy After Beating Breast Cancer

However, two years later, another mammogram revealed she had invasive breast cancer and was told to have another lumpectomy. However, two months later, she was told she was mistreated and should’ve received radiation treatment following her lumpectomy. Despite all this, her 2014 diagnosis followed three lumpectomies and radiation, leading her to remission.

Now, years after her cancer battle, Farr appears to be immersing herself in the beauty of nature, and doing so with her dog Puff and and cat Suki.

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She captioned an Instagram post from earlier this year, featuring the two adorable animals, “Traveling from Raleigh NC  to Toronto. No way I’m putting Puff and Suki on a plane and so .. ROAD TRIP.

“Our first Rest Stop was  Puff’s first experience of being on a leash. Being a very cool cat he liked it!”

She concluded, “Suki loved hanging out with Puff on the grass. Great company and travelers.”

Another Instagram post, Farr shared a video clip of trees amid blue skies, writing, “FRIDAY .. Heavenly moment of peace in Nature.

“If you look carefully the taller trees  gently moving catching the breeze.”

In another post, she shared a sweet photo of her dog, a black labrador retriever, sitting by a tree, along with the caption, “The camellia blossoms have dropped from the trees, but for a brief moment they blaze again before they scatter in the wind.”

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We’re happy to see Farr relaxing and doing what she loves after cancer, and making the changes she needs in life to be happy.

RELATED: HGTV’s Hilary Farr Reflects on Her Breast Cancer Diagnosis & Offers Advice on Self-Advocacy: “I Should Have Asked More Questions”

She told People last year, after revealing she would be concluding her time on the iconic “Love It or List It” show, “I’ve given it so many years of my life.

“It’s got me through hard times. It’s got the audiences through hard times. It has evolved into a mainstay of people’s lives and it’s been incredibly gratifying. But now it’s time for me to move on and meet new challenges.”

Farr also told People that a major reason as to why she wanted to leave “Love It or List It,” was to enjoy life more after cancer.

“I’m now very aware of really wanting to take joy out of every day, and that’s one of the reasons that it was time to leave Love It or List It, because it was becoming too easy. I was in a rut. It’s been so many years,” she explained.

“Between Two Harbors”: Nature’s Hand in Healing

Speaking to SurvivorNet in an earlier interview, Farr admits her attitude through cancer as continued to be “power through it” and move on.

“The reason I want to talk about it is because I made bad decisions based on wanting to always be strong. I was stupid,” she tells SurvivorNet.

She knows exactly how she got to that place.  “I was brought up and taught to be ‘stiff upper lip and barrel through.’ My early career was dancing,” says the former Royal Ballet School of London student. “You danced through the pain. You just always showed up. It didn’t matter if you were dying from the flu. That was my entire background and that was considered a valuable character trait and it is, except at times when you need to recognize that you’re not doing yourself any favors. Who are you being a hero for? It’s stupid.”

Farr told SurvivorNet, “I was never really given the option of just having a mastectomy. In retrospect, I wish I had been able to.

“I didn’t push for it. I didn’t even consider it as an option. I will admit a part of that was vanity as well. I do think that was a part of it but I didn’t go far enough to get educated in all the elements that were involved in the upside.”

She explained that her follow-up plans for after cancer will continue to include mammograms and MRIs.

Hilary Farr’s Breast Cancer Journey

In 2012, a routine mammogram led to the discovery of a lump in Hilary Farr’s breast. She underwent a lumpectomy, which is a procedure to remove cancer or abnormal tissue from the breast. This procedure differs from a mastectomy, which removes part or all of the breasts.

WATCH: Should you get a lumpectomy or a mastectomy?

After reviewing the tissue, Farr’s tumor turned out to be precancerous, which brought the TV star “so much relief,” previously told People Magazine.

Two years later, Farr underwent another mammogram and it found she had invasive breast cancer, which can spread to other areas of the body. Another lumpectomy procedure was the course of treatment by her doctor.

At the time, Farr said, her medical oncologist told her “You’re fine” after the procedure. However, Farr learned about two months later that she should have received radiation treatment after the lumpectomy to ensure any remaining cancer cells were eradicated.

“I was terrified because I knew I had a very small window,” Farr said. “I felt an absolute fury that someone could be so flippantly wrong,” she continued, upset by her doctor’s incomplete treatment plan.

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Radiation therapy is a form of cancer treatment that uses high-energy rays such as X-rays to destroy cancer cells. It’s often used after surgery to reduce the chance that the cancer will come back after treatment. It’s common for women to undergo radiation as part of their breast cancer treatment, especially if they opt for a lumpectomy.

WATCH: What radiation therapy feels like?

Farr ultimately filing a complaint against her former oncologist. She eventually received the needed radiation treatment she needed. Then, in 2015, her doctors found another “suspicious breast growth,” and a lumpectomy revealed the tumor was precancerous.

Her breast cancer experience highlights the importance of being your own biggest health advocate. If you ever suspect all of your concerns are not being addressed, seek another opinion.

Second opinions provide benefits for not only diagnosing your symptoms but also determining the best treatment options.

WATCH: The value of getting a second opinion.

Animals and Healing

It is often said that animals improve our quality of life, and that can especially be true for people battling cancer or for those who have beat a disease, like Hilary Farr.

It’s clear through her frequent social media posts that focusing on her beloved animals is something Farr enjoys doing, and perhaps it’s something that has helped her cope through and after battling breast cancer.

What Are the Benefits of Pet Therapy?

We often need to keep going, and there have been studies showing the power of passion of positivity affecting the outcome of your disease. What still brings you joy? It’s important to do things to feed your emotional health just as much as your physical. For Farr, it often seems to involve her furry friends.

It’s important to remember that life doesn’t slow down for a cancer diagnosis, but that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. In fact, our experts say that prioritizing your overall wellbeing and continuing to do the things you love, like spending time with animals, can be very beneficial.

RELATED: Pet Therapy Can Really Help During Cancer Treatment: “It Takes Me Out of My World”

For those without dogs at home, more and more often we are seeing chemotherapy centers and hospitals bringing dogs in to meet with patients and to brighten their day with a wagging tail and a slobbery kiss.

For instance, at New York’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the Caring Canine teams make regularly scheduled bedside and lounge visits, even turning up on holidays, which can be the loneliest times for patients.

Separately, Alison Snow, who works in cancer support services at Mount Sinai, previously told SurvivorNet that there’s research to show that animal visits to hospitals can be extremely beneficial to people battling cancer, as well as other ailments.

“You can hear the excitement in the air when the dog is around and there is research to show that having animal-assisted visits is helpful to patients going through cancer in terms of lowering blood pressure, reducing anxiety, decreasing depression, and overall, helping patients feel less isolated,” said Snow.

Starting Over After Cancer

As Farr continues to spend time with her beloved animals after fighting cancer, it’s important to be aware that starting over is arduous, but it can be done. Here’s how:

• Examine your thoughts. Take time to reflect on the tragedy or difficulty you are facing. Dr. Scott Irwin tells SurvivorNet that, often, people with cancer and chronic disease are “grieving the change in their life, the future they had imagined is now different.”
• Seek help. Irwin, who directs Supportive Care Services at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, adds that talk therapy can help people significantly: “It’s about meeting the individual patient where they are and their feelings, how they’ve always dealt with their body image, what the body image changes mean now in their lives and their relationships, and how they can move forward given the new reality.
• Realize that you are not the first. Study the lives of other people who have faced similar difficulties. Dr. Samantha Boardman tells SurvivorNet, “Having support we know is really critical in the healing process.” She adds there is also a benefit in “talking to those who’ve, you know, been through this process, who are maybe a couple of steps ahead of you, who can tell you what it’s like to walk in their shoes and the unbelievable wisdom that one can gain from speaking to them.”
• Visualize the future. Imagine what it will look like for you to start over. Many people find it very helpful to create a vision board. Cut out pictures or quotes or mementos that give you a concrete picture of your future. Look to it when you are feeling down or in need of a lift. The good news? It works.

Starting Over After a Life Changing Event

Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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