John Travolta Celebrates His Son
- Actor John Travolta, 66, lost wife Kelly Preston to breast cancer in July after a two-year battle with the disease; she was 57.
- Breast cancer risk factors include age and family history.
- Grieving the loss of a spouse can be helped by resources like therapy and support groups.
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Kelly Preston’s Breast Cancer Battle
Preston battled her breast cancer for two years. The actress chose to keep her cancer journey private, so not much is known about her specific diagnosis and treatment plan. However, we do know that husband Travolta publicly thanked doctors at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX.
He said after her passing, “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."
Related: Breast Cancer: Overview
Dr. Elizabeth Comen, a medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, told SurvivorNet in an earlier interview about the risk factors of this disease. “The most common risk factor for breast cancer is getting older and being a woman because breast cancer becomes increasingly more common as women age. Another important risk factor to know about is family history.”
Family history can play a big role, says Dr. Comen. “Some people think that breast cancer is only inherited through genes on the mom’s side. But it can also be related to genetic mutations that could be found on the father’s side. Having had a prior biopsy for an area which indicates some abnormality, not cancer necessarily, but for example, atypical ductal hyperplasia, which means that some of the ducts in a breast may have grown abnormally.”
Dr. Elizabeth Comen Discusses Stage One Breast Cancer
Losing a Spouse to Cancer
Losing a spouse to cancer may lead to a great deal of grief. Thankfully, there are tools available to those coping with grief, such as therapy, support groups, and friends and family. It’s important to take the time you need to grieve, and go through it in a way that is most beneficial to you.
Related: Faith, Family, and Friends' Helped Beverly Reeves Get Through Ovarian Cancer Treatment
The grief process is deeply personal and varies widely. We are glad to see Travolta celebrating his family this year, as he moves through grief and adjusts to life without his beloved Kelly.
"Therapy Saved My Life": After Losing A Loved One, Don't Be Afraid To Ask For Help
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