Kathy Griffin's Triumphant Return
- Comedienne Kathy Griffin made a triumphant return to standup at a fundraiser hosted by pal Rosie O’Donnell. A video from the evening shows the star getting a standing ovation from the crowd.
- Though Griffin is back to making people laugh, her future onstage was in doubt not long ago. Surgery to treat her lung cancer resulted in Griffin almost losing her voice.
- Lung cancer, the second most common type of cancer, is the leading cause of cancer deaths for men and women in the United States. Griffin developed lung cancer as a non-smoker, which is a less heard of occurrence. Diagnosis and treatment of the disease can be tricky since symptoms often don't appear until the cancer has spread.
In a video posted to her Twitter account, Griffin, 61, can be seen onstage with fellow funny person Rosie O’Donnell, 60.
Read MoreFirst night back doing standup since cancer surgery. @Rosie put together a great benefit show for Friendly House Women's Recovery Center. ðŸ™ðŸ™ðŸ™ pic.twitter.com/7JEkRyOpQp
Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) July 17, 2022
Among the video clips was a standing ovation from the audience as O’Donnell introduced Griffin, who was diagnosed with lung cancer in
The comedy club wasn’t the only place where Griffin was palling around with Rosie. Both have long been vocal critics of former president Donald Trump and, according to an Instagram post, the fiery Griffin had O’Donnell over to her house to watch the January 6th Committee hearings. Also in attendance was O’Donnell’s girlfriend, Aimee Hauer, 43, and actress Rosanna Arquette, 62.
"Had to have @rosie over to watch #january6th hearings! The ORIGINAL female comic to go HARD on trummmmp," Griffin wrote in the caption.
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Kathy Griffin’s Lung Cancer Battle
Griffin’s comedic return is a big moment for the 61-year-old. After telling the world about her stage 1 cancer diagnosis in August, 2021, she underwent surgery to have half of her left lung removed, as the cancer seemed to be contained there. The cancer was cut away during the procedure, but the surgery caused complications such as losing her voice.
She once said in an interview that losing the ability to make other people laugh made her lose a lot of want to live; the comedian is very open about this dark stage of her life, and she's just as transparent with the details of how to get through it all.
The Importance Of Positive Thinking
Kathy's focus on hope backs anecdotal evidence from SurvivorNet experts that point to how a positive mindset can impact a cancer prognosis. Dr. Zuri Murrell, a colorectal surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, 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," he says.
"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, they have gratitude in life."
Living In Gratitude
What You Need To Know About Lung Cancer
Lung cancer, the second most common type of cancer, is the leading cause of cancer deaths for men and women in the United States. Griffin developed lung cancer as a non-smoker, which is a less heard of occurrence. Diagnosis and treatment of the disease can be tricky since symptoms often don't appear until the cancer has spread.
An initial symptom, for example, could be as serious as a seizure if the lung cancer has already spread to the brain. But other symptoms can include increased coughing, chest pain, unexplained weight loss, shortness of breath, wheezing, losing your voice or persistent infections like bronchitis or pneumonia.
The two main types of lung cancer are non-small cell, which makes up 85 percent of cases, and small-cell. These types act differently and, accordingly, require different types of treatment.
Dr. Patrick Forde, a thoracic oncologist at Johns Hopkins Medicine, tells SurvivorNet about how distinguishing between the two types and their subtypes can be very beneficial.
"Within that non-small cell category, there's a subtype called non-squamous adenocarcinoma, and that's the group of patients for whom genetic testing is very important on the tumor," he explains. "Genetic testing is looking for mutations in the DNA, in the tumor, which are not present in your normal DNA."
What Happens When You've Been Newly Diagnosed With Lung Cancer
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