Confidence as a Cancer Survivor
- Julia Louis-Dreyfus, 61, is a breast cancer survivor brimming with confidence. She recently attended the premier of her movie, You People, wearing a beautiful black gown with playful cutouts.
- Louis-Dreyfus was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer in 2017. She underwent six rounds of chemotherapy and a double mastectomy to treat the disease, then had breast reconstruction.
- Body positivity might not come easy for all cancer survivors. But getting to a point where you're embracing your body can help you live life to the fullest.
Louis-Dreyfus, perhaps best known for her role as Elaine in the sitcom, "Seinfeld," did not let her breast cancer get in the way of her career. She’s done everything from political satires to Marvel movies, and now fans are getting ready to see her in the romantic comedy You People.
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Julia Louis-Dreyfus' Cancer Battle
Julia Louis-Dreyfus was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017.
"1 in 8 women get breast cancer. Today, I'm the one," she posted in a tweet from Sept. 28, 2017. "The good news is that I have the most glorious group of supportive and caring family and friends, and fantastic insurance through my union. The bad news is that not all women are so lucky, so let's fight all cancers and make universal health care a reality."
Like So Many Others, Julia Louis-Dreyfus Returned to Work After Treatment for Cancer
To better understand Louis-Dreyfus' diagnosis, it's important to talk about what 'stage' means for breast cancer patients.
"Stage really refers to how big a tumor is and how many lymph nodes are involved," Dr. Elizabeth Comen, an oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and a SurvivorNet medical advisor, previously told SurvivorNet. "Stage is kind of an old way of thinking about how we treat breast cancer. But, yet, it is still one of the ways that we put patients into categories to figure out the types of treatments that may be available to them."
What Is Stage 2 Breast Cancer?
Louis-Dreyfus's cancer was diagnosed at stage 2.
"When a woman has stage 2 breast cancer, it means that the tumor's probably bigger than 2 cm and/or she has lymph nodes involved," Dr. Comen explained. "And if she has lymph nodes involved, she probably doesn't have that many lymph nodes involved. Because if you have more lymph nodes, like 10, 11, 12, then that might be referred to as Stage 3 cancer."
After undergoing six rounds of chemotherapy and a double mastectomy for treatment, she announced she was cancer-free in October 2018. Since then, she's been working on a lot of projects and taking in all the beautiful moments of life. In addition, she's continuously used her platform to educate about breast cancer and advocate for cancer survivors.
Hormone Therapies for Breast Cancer: Aromatase Inhibitor
"It sounds kind of corny, but there's something about after you've walked through something like this, which is such a crisis, to be able to help someone who's then going through," she said in a 2019 interview. "It's very, sort of, comforting to yourself in a weird way. It really is something that I'm happy to do. It gives me a lot of energy and a good feeling, for sure."
Body Positivity and Cancer
Body positivity is a beautiful thing. And cancer survivors like Ann Caruso know that confidence comes from within.
Celebrity Stylist Ann Caruso on Beauty and Femininity After Cancer
Caruso had 12 surgeries to treat her breast cancer and told SurvivorNet all of the change really affected the way she saw her body.
"You're not the same carefree person that you once were, and it was very hard for me to look at myself every day," Caruso said in a previous interview with SurvivorNet. "It was like I was a totally different person and didn't fit into any of my clothes for so long."
"You're not the same carefree person that you once were, and it was very hard for me to look at myself every day," Caruso said in a previous interview with SurvivorNet. "It was like I was a totally different person and didn't fit into any of my clothes for so long."
But the celebrity stylist has learned a whole lot about femininity and body image since beating breast cancer. She hopes to impart her knowledge upon others dealing with similar struggles.
"Femininity is a state of mind," Caruso said. "And I think that's something that we have to remind ourselves."
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.