Cancer upends and changes lives, but not always as publicly as it has for “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star NeNe Leakes.
Fans were delighted to see NeNe return to the show in Sunday’s episode, and to get an update on her husband Gregg’s cancer journey. Recently declared cancer-free, his diagnosis and treatment, which NeNe has admitted was extremely difficult on their marriage, has taught her, she said, to not sweat the small stuff. She even admitted that she’d been “petty” in the past.
Read MoreIn the past, the reality star had expressed that she was struggling to deal with her role as caretaker as Gregg battled cancer. It was also difficult for her to understand that, as so many survivors have told us, cancer can change a person. Sometimes during treatment, you just may not feel like yourself.
“He’s changed as a person, his attitude changed,” NeNe told People. “I feel like that day, I lost my husband. Our whole dynamic changed. Sometimes I forget that he’s sick and I need to remind myself because he’s so on the edge. He’s not nice, but he can’t help it.”
In Sunday’s “RHOA” episode, it was clear that both Gregg and NeNe are focused on moving forward — both with their marriage and with themselves. NeNe shared that she had been seeing a spiritual advisor, who had encouraged her to let go of drama that broke out with other castmates in the previous season of the show.
“I know I’ve been petty,” she said. “I’m in a different head space now.”
Gregg Leakes’ Colon Cancer Battle
When Gregg, who is in his 60s, was initially diagnosed with colon cancer, he opted to not undergo chemotherapy in favor of holistic, alternative treatment methods. While the decision of which cancer therapy to undergo is a very personal one, leading doctors in the oncology field have warned SurvivorNet that disregarding traditional medicine in favor of alternative therapies can be extremely dangerous.
In a previous interview with SurvivorNet, MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Dr. Jason Westin said that there is a lot of information on the internet that, unfortunately, touts the benefits of alternative cancer treatment methods — but if a treatment sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
“If there were treatment options that weren't based on chemotherapies or targeted therapies that worked well for our patients, sign me up!” Dr. Westin said. “I would be doing those treatments for my patients in my clinic on a clinical trial. The reason that many alternative therapies are not utilized in many big cancer centers is because they do not work very well in a research setting that evaluates these treatments.”
RELATED: The Difference Between Alternative and Integrative Medicine
Earlier this year, Gregg did change his tune and decided to undergo chemotherapy to treat the colon cancer. He was declared cancer-free in May. The Season 12 “RHOA” premiere on Sunday marked the first time that fans got a glimpse of the new relationship dynamic between NeNe and Gregg. Things seem to be on the mend — NeNe said their marriage is “healing from the cancer journey.”
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