Using Humor To Cope With Challenges
- Fox News columnist Kat Timpf has over come a recent battle with stage zero breast cancer, known as ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) after giving birth to her first child. Despite having undergone a double mastectomy and breast reconstruction, Timpf is back to work and maintaining her humor throughout it all.
- Stage zero breast cancer refers to DCIS otherwise known as Ductal Carcinoma In Situ. DCIS are abnormal cells that line the duct in a breast. A normal breast comprises lots of ducts (these ducts carry milk to the nipple in a woman who is lactating).
- According to the National Library of Medicine, research has shown that the amount of pain medication needed for patients is reduced after they watch funny movies.
- Licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Marianna Strongin previously wrote in column for SurvivorNet, “Going through [cancer] treatment is a very vulnerable and emotionally exhausting experience. Noticing what you have strength for and what is feeling like too much [is] extremely important to pay attention to as you navigate treatment.”
The Michigan-born comedian, known for her witty and lighthearted personality, recently took to social media to share that is now “free” after she stopped using a language-learning app on her phone after nearly 900 days.
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Her fans praised her for her joyful outlook on life, with one writing, “It’s sooo good to see you again Kat. I hope you’re dealing with everything God threw at you. Hope the baby and hubster are doing well.”
Another commented, “Can’t wait to see your smiling face and hear your solid points of view…. Oh and that high-pitched-squeal-laugh when you get worked up about a topic. Be well. Come back to your waiting public Kat.”
Meanwhile, on a recent episode of Fox Nation’s “What Did I Miss,” Timpf made a joke about her recent cancer battle alongside Greg Gutfeld after the TV show host question a contestant on whether she used tape to keep her dress on.
After the contestant replied with, “No, I just don’t have any t**s,” Timpf chimed in, “I really don’t have any t**s”—referring to the surgery she underwent in her cancer fight.
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Timpf shared a video clip of the moment on her Instagram page, captioning the post, “get it bc i got a mastectomy.”
One of her fans happily commented, “Kat your hilarious. I love when people can laugh at themselves,” while another wrote, “What a woman to have such a great sense of humor!!!! You’re a rock star sister!!!”
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Timpf’s return to work comes after she shared a health update on Instagram on March 13, featuring a photo of her standing outside Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
“Once I recover from childbirth, my mole removal scars heal, I get a double mastectomy, get rid of my cancer, have breast reconstruction surgery & am physically capable of getting back in the gym it’s OVER FOR U,” she captioned the post.
Her recovery update also followed an “unconventional birth announcement” on her Instagram page, where she revealed she was diagnosed with stage zero breast cancer, known as ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), less than 24 hours before giving birth to her son, urging others, “Don’t freak out. It’s just, like, a little bit of cancer.”
Timpf said she gave birth to her first child a week prior and approximately 15 hours before going into labor she received her cancer diagnosis.
She wrote on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram, “Now, before you worry, my doctor says it’s Stage 0 and is confident that it almost certainly hasn’t spread. Or, as I’ve explained to the few people I’ve managed to tell about it so far: Don’t freak out. It’s just, like, a LITTLE bit of cancer.
“Still, it was not a chill day. I mean, to say the least! I woke up more-than-a-week-past-due pregnant, completely consumed by doing everything I could to get the baby out. By the middle of the afternoon, I was waddling around from appointment to appointment, talking about how to get my cancer out. I sat and listened as they told me that the best course of action would likely be a double mastectomy as soon as possible.”
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Understanding Kat Timpf’s Early-Stage Breast Cancer Diagnosis
Stage zero breast cancer or ductal carcinoma in situ are abnormal cells that line the duct in a breast. A normal breast comprises many ducts carrying milk to the nipple in a lactating woman. This type of breast cancer is not invasive, meaning it has not spread outside the milk duct and can’t invade other parts of the breast.
Some oncologists approach stage zero breast cancer with a watch-and-wait approach, meaning no invasive procedure happens immediately. Other oncologists may opt to perform surgery followed by possible radiation.
WATCH: I Have Stage Zero Breast Cancer: What Should I Do?
SurvivorNet experts say if DCIS is left untreated, it may develop into more advanced breast cancer.
However, it’s important to understand that treatment for early-stage breast cancer is one of the great debates—and recently, there was incredible progress in understanding whether women diagnosed with stage zero breast cancer either need treatment right away or can take a watch-and-wait approach.
A study recently published in JAMA Oncology, is saying that treatment for the disease is actually no better than active surveillance after a stage zero diagnosis.
The new research, shared in JAMA with the title “Active Monitoring With or Without Endocrine Therapy for Low-Risk Ductal Carcinoma In Situ – The COMET Randomized Clinical Trial,” is a large study that’s been looking into the benefit of active surveillance versus standard treatment.
As the COMET trial, which has been going on for years and is still underway, those who specialize in breast cancer say this study is incredibly important. Including, Dr. Ann Partridge, an oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the founder and Director of the Program for Young Women with Breast Cancer, who previously told SurvivorNet that DCIS is “a pre-cancer, technically.”
The standard treatment for DCIS is to remove it surgically and in some instances offer radiation as well. “But I think if a woman is seeing a physician who says you need surgery, I think it’s really important that she maybe get a little more information,” Dr. Partridge said.
This type of research has been put into place to help doctors decide whether doing less may be just as effective as doing more. In the meantime, the options are worth weighing depending on your individual diagnosis and concerns.
And we understand that these findings can be distressing to women who have already undergone surgery, chemotherapy, and/or radiation for early-stage breast cancer, it’s important to note that approximately 30 percent of women who initially receive an early-stage breast cancer diagnosis will end up developing metastatic breast cancer, according to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
Additionally, Breast Cancer Research Foundation reports that women with stage zero breast cancer have a a high success rate of beating the disease, with a 98 percent survival rate after 10 years.
Dr. Partridge explained to SurvivorNet that stage zero breast cancer is, “Something that may turn into invasive breast cancer. Invasive breast cancer is the kind of breast cancer that has the potential to not only grow in your breast but to spread to other places in the body and ultimately hurt someone more than just needing a breast surgery.”
The current standard of care is treatment with either lumpectomy or mastectomy, radiation, and hormonal therapy.
Additionally, Dr. Chirag Shah, Director of Breast Radiation Oncology at the Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center, says recent studies show that the risk of dying from stage zero breast cancer is very low, prompting some doctors to opt for less aggressive treatment and, even in some cases, active surveillance.
“Protocols, such as the comet trial, are studying the use of surveillance regimens, but this is not standard of care and is experimental at this time, and active surveillance is not something that we would recommend for patients outside of a clinical study,” Dr. Shah said.
Finding a Balance Between Screening and Treating
Dr. Alana Welm, of the Huntsman Cancer Institute, also told SurvivorNet that doctors need to find a balance between screening and finding cancers that actually require treatment.
Screenings lead to more people being diagnosed with cancer, and some of those cancers may have never caused an issue. Dr. Welm says treating these cancers exposes patients to unnecessary toxicities. Stage zero breast cancer, for example, can get picked up during screening but not all doctors see eye-to-eye on whether it requires treatment or just monitoring.
WATCH: Understanding a double mastectomy.
The Importance of Laughter & Positivity
Kat Timpf is a wonderful example of someone who uses laughter and positivity to get through tough times.
It’s also interesting to note, that according to the National Library of Medicine, research has shown that the amount of pain medication needed for patients is reduced after they watch funny movies.
And perhaps laughter, like Timpf makes sure to have in her life, even if it’s through looking at funny videos or memes on social media, could also help when someone is dealing with the pain that comes amid a health challenge, whether it’s any sort of health battle, like metastatic breast cancer.
The importance of positivity amid tough times has been seen through stand-up comedian Jesus Trejo in Long Beach, California.
Trejo became a caregiver for both of his parents after his mother was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor and his father was later faced with colon cancer. But instead of panicking and focusing on the devastating nature of the situation, the only child stepped up to care for his parents with love and laughter.
In a previous interview with SurvivorNet, Trejo opened up about how he put his career aside to care for his parents in their time of need while making time to smile along the way.
Stand-Up Comedian & Cancer Caregiver, Jesus Trejo Reminds Us That “Laughter is a Game-Changer”
“The only advice I have for anyone watching this is laugh, and laugh often, laugh at yourself. Don’t take yourself seriously. Things are already bad. Because once you do that, it’s a game-changer,”Trejo told SurvivorNet.
He also says the laughter itself might be brief, but “the effects of it just reverberate through your body, and can change an already bad situation into a better one.”
Focusing on hope, and maintaining a positive attitude amid a health battle can always be helpful.
Anecdotal evidence from SurvivorNet experts points to how a positive mindset can impact a cancer prognosis.
Dr. Zuri Murrell, of Cedars-Sinai told SurvivorNet in an earlier interview, “My patients who thrive, even with stage 4 cancer, from the time that they, about a month after they’re diagnosed, I kind of am pretty good at seeing who is going to be OK. Now doesn’t that mean I’m good at saying that the cancer won’t grow.”
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“But I’m pretty good at telling what kind of patient are going to still have this attitude and probably going to live the longest, even with bad, bad disease. And those are patients who have gratitude in life.”
Meanwhile, Dr. Dana Chase, a Gynecologic Oncologist at UCLA Health, also says it’s important to try to focus on the good, stay positive, and do things that bring you joy to the degree you’re able to do so amid battling a disease like cancer.
“We know, actually from good studies, that emotional health, quality of life is associated with survival, meaning better quality of life is associated with better survival, better outcomes,” Dr. Chase said in an earlier interview.
Coping With Your New Body After Cancer Treatment
To prepare yourself for possible body changes during cancer treatment is to understand that changes are possible but also temporary. This can also help build up your self-confidence. Your support group, filled with loved ones, can help you during this stage of your journey, which Kat Timpf has embarked on.
Psychologist Dr. Marianna Strongin shares with SurvivorNet some additional tips cancer warriors can explore to help manage the emotional toll body changes can have during treatment.
Dr. Strongin encourages cancer warriors to take ownership of the part (or parts) of their body impacted mainly by cancer treatment. She says although they may represent “fear and pain,” they also represent “strength and courage.”
WATCH: Regaining your sense of self after reconstruction.
“Research has found that when looking in the mirror, we are more likely to focus on the parts of our body we are dissatisfied with, which causes us to have a negative self-view and lower self-esteem. Therefore, I would like you first to spend time gazing at the parts of your body you love, give them time, honor them, and then thank them,” Dr. Strongin said.
Dr. Strongin then suggests looking at the part or parts of your body impacted by the cancer or cancer treatment. She recommends creating a regular practice of accepting your body image because it helps you accept your cancer journey emotionally and physically.
“As you allow yourself to spend more time looking at all of you, you will begin having a new relationship with your body. It may not happen immediately, but with time, you can begin honoring and thanking your new body,” Dr. Strongin added.
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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