The Importance of Milestones
- John Travolta lost his wife Kelly Preston to breast cancer in 2020 when she was just 57 years old. However, the actor is finding happiness in moments while celebrating milestones. He turned 70 over the weekend and his daughter Ella Bleu took to social media to commemorate his birthday with a sweet post.
- Preston passed away at age 57 after a 2-year battle with breast cancer. Since her passing, Travolta has been a single dad to their three children—the late Jett Travolta, Ella Bleu Travolta, 23, and Benjamin Travolta, 13.
- Reaching milestones during or after a cancer battle is huge. These events like reaching another birthday, getting married, or starting a new job, may mean even more than they did previously, so it’s important to take them all in and celebrate all you’ve overcome.
- Additionally, having family support (like Travolta does) is much needed following the loss of a loved one.
- The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends women at average breast cancer risk begin screening for breast cancer at age 40. Women with the BRCA gene mutation, who have a family history of cancer or have dense breasts, are at higher risk and should talk with their doctor about when to screen may be younger than 40.
The “Saturday Night Fever” star, who has been a single parent since his late wife’s heartbreaking passing in July 2020, is a dad to three children, all of whom he shares with Preston—the late Jett Travolta, Ella Bleu Travolta, 23, and Benjamin Travolta, 13. His daughter took to social media to commemorate her dad’s milestone birthday with an adorable throwback photo from her childhood.
Read MoreElla Bleu shared a cute photo of her as a child, making a pouty face alongside her dad, on Sunday in honor of Travolta, who was born on February 18, 1954.View this post on Instagram
She wrote, “Happy Birthday to the man who is always by my side and who is always bringing light and beauty into this world. I love you to the moon and back.”
Her dad even chimed by commenting, “And I always will be Ella my baby girl.”
It’s great to see Ella Bleu keeping on with her tradition of posting on social media for her dad. Last year on his birthday, she shared a sweet selfie of her and her beloved dad and praised him as her “hero.”
She captioned the post, “Yesterday marked the birthday of my hero. The most incredible father, friend and role model anyone could ask for. I love you, Daddy.”
View this post on Instagram
Meanwhile, Travolta also took to his Instagram account to offer some insight into his birthday celebrations, sharing a video of his son Benjamin skiing with the song “Free Bird” By Leonard Skynyrd as background music.
The delighted dad wrote, “This was my favorite birthday gift today. Seeing my son Ben ski to a new level! I’m so proud of him.”
That wasn’t the only thing Travolta shared. He also took to his Instagram story to show a video clip of him blowing out birthday candles on a cake, concluding with his precious dog “Peanut” giving him a “birthday kiss.”
View this post on Instagram
It’s clear that milestone birthdays are very special for Travolta and his children. In fact, Travolta commemorated his son Benjamin’s 13th birthday with a video collaboration back in November.
“I can’t believe my baby boy is now a teenager. Ben turns 13 today. I love you my son!” he wrote alongside the footage, equipped with clips of his son playing with their dogs and charming photos from when he was younger.
View this post on Instagram
John Travolta’s Loss & Kelly’s Breast Cancer Battle
John Travolta lost wife Kelly Preston in July 2020. She fought her breast cancer privately for two years before passing from the disease at age 57. While we don’t know the specifics of Preston’s treatment, we do know that breast cancer is typically treated with chemotherapy, radiation, or surgery.
After she passed, Travolta thanked doctors at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston in a tribute post for his wife on Instagram, on July 13, 2020.
Alongside a beautiful photo of his wife, Travolta wrote, “It is with a very heavy heart that I inform you that my beautiful wife Kelly has lost her two-year battle with breast cancer. She fought a courageous fight with the love and support of so many.
“My family and I will forever be grateful to her doctors and nurses at MD Anderson Cancer Center, all the medical centers that have helped, as well as her many friends and loved ones who have been by her side.”
View this post on Instagram
He continued, “Kelly’s love and life will always be remembered. I will be taking some time to be there for my children who have lost their mother, so forgive me in advance if you don’t hear from us for a while. But please know that I will feel your outpouring of love in the weeks and months ahead as we heal.
All my love, JT.”
Travolta and his wife kept Preston’s cancer battle relatively private, which is why the world was so stunned when she passed as most people didn’t know she was sick.
Health is a deeply personal matter, and it’s up to you and you alone to determine who has the right and privilege to know about your diagnosis.
It’s important to do what feels right to you after your diagnosis, and not cave into any pressure to share your diagnosis with others before you’re ready or to share it more widely than you’d like. You have autonomy over your health and the sharing of any news related to it.
Expert Resources On Coping With Loss
- How to Be Realistically Optimistic: Coping With Mental Health Long-Term
- Dealing With Grief Related to Health Problems
- Mental Health and Cancer — The Fight, Flight or Freeze Response
- How to Handle the Emotional Toll of Caring for a Loved One: Prioritizing Your Mental Health
- Mental Health: Understanding the Three Wellsprings of Vitality
Dr. Marianna Strongin, a licensed clinical psychologist and founder of Strong In Therapy Psychology, told SurvivorNet in an earlier interview that whether someone shares this heavy news is their personal preference.
“I recommend sharing, I’m a therapist,” Strongin says with a laugh, “but to whom and how many people is up to the person (with cancer).”
There are plenty of people who have chosen not to share their cancer battle publicly. While Strongin says that she encourages sharing, she also recognizes there’s also a personality factor at play when it comes to whether a person shares this deeply personal news; some people are more willing to share, and some are just more private, Strongin adds. The difference, she says, is what’s the process in sharing versus not sharing.
Helpful Information About Breast Cancer Screening
The medical community has a consensus that women between 45 and 54 have annual mammograms. However, an independent panel of experts called the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) is saying that women should start getting mammograms every other year at the age of 40, suggesting that this lowered the age for breast cancer screening could save 19% more lives. For women aged 55 and older, the American Cancer Society recommends getting a mammogram every other year. However, women in this age group who want added reassurance can still get annual mammograms.
Women with a strong family history of breast cancer, have dense breasts, have a genetic mutation known to increase the risk of breast cancer, such as a BRCA gene mutation, or a medical history, including chest radiation therapy before age 30, are considered at higher risk for breast cancer.
WATCH: Understanding the BRCA gene mutation
Experiencing menstruation at an early age (before 12) or having dense breasts can also put you into a high-risk category. If you are at a higher risk for developing breast cancer, you should begin screening earlier.
Breast density is determined through mammograms. However, women with dense breasts are at a higher risk for developing breast cancer because dense breast tissue can mask potential cancer during screening. 3D mammograms, breast ultrasound, breast MRI, and molecular breast imaging are options for women with dense breasts for a more precise screening. It is important to ask your doctor about your breast density and cancer risk.
Family History & Breast Cancer Risk
Although breast cancer can happen to anyone, certain factors can increase a person’s risk of getting the disease. The known risk factors for breast cancer include:
- Older age
- Having a gene mutation such as the BRCA1 or BRCA2
- Added exposure to estrogen
- Having children after the age of 30
- Exposure to radiation early in life
- Family history of the disease
RELATED: Is Genetic Testing Right for You?
Different types of genetic testing can help people with a family history of cancer better ascertain their cancer risks. Your doctor will discuss your family history of cancer with you in the context of your type of tumor and your age at diagnosis. Hereditary genetic testing is usually done with a blood or saliva test.
WATCH: Understanding genetic testing for breast cancer.
About ten percent of breast cancers are hereditary, says Dr. Ophira Ginsburg, Director of the High-Risk Cancer Program at NYU Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center.
“We encourage only those with a family history to get [genetic testing],” Dr. Ginsburg previously SurvivorNet.
“I would say that if you have anyone in your family diagnosed with a rare cancer. Or if you have a strong family history of one or two kinds of cancer, particularly breast and ovarian, but also colon, rectal, uterine, and ovarian cancer, that goes together in another cancer syndrome called the Lynch Syndrome,” Dr. Ginsburg adds.
The second test involves the genetic sequencing of your tumor if you’ve been diagnosed with cancer by this point. These genetic changes can be inherited, but most arise during a person’s lifetime. This process usually involves examining a biopsy or surgical specimen of your tumor. This testing can lead to decisions on drugs that might work against your cancer.
“Digital mammography, it turns out, significantly improves the quality of the mammogram… It’s 3D or tomosynthesis mammography,” Dr. Lehman explains.
“This allows us to find more cancers and significantly reduce our false-positive rate. With digital mammography 3D tomosynthesis, we’re taking thin slices through that breast tissue, like slices of a loaf of bread. We can look at each slice independently rather than trying to see through the entire thickness of the entire loaf of bread. So those thin slices help us find things that were hidden in all the multiple layers,” Dr. Lehman adds.
Additional testing can be considered for dense breasts, depending on a woman’s personal history, preferences, and her physician’s guidance.
Reaching Milestones After Cancer
Reaching milestones after during or after a cancer battle, or even the loss of a loved one to cancer, is huge. These events like turning another year older, or a wedding anniversary, may mean even more than they did previously, so it’s important to take them all in and celebrate all that you’ve overcome.
I’m Able to Be Here For More Milestones One Cancer Survivor’s Incredible Story
Chrissy Degennaro, a cancer warrior determined to keep enjoying these precious milestones, is a great example of this. She has been battling a rare blood cancer called multiple myeloma for 14 years, and was first diagnosed when she was just 36 years old with a 2-year-old son.
When she was diagnosed, she almost expected to not be able to see him enter kindergarten. But thanks to 27 rounds of chemotherapy, two stem cell transplants, a CAR-T cell trial and two CAR-T cell transplants over following 14 years, she’s able to keep making memories with her family.
“You know, I do live one day at a time,” Chrissy previously told SurvivorNet. “Now, maybe I can go a week, a month, but things are looking pretty good. I’m able to be here for more milestones for my son, for more holidays, more birthdays. I do feel like I have had another chance at life.”
RELATED: I Got to Dance With My Daughter at Her Wedding: Steve Silverstein’s Cancer Story
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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