Lung Cancer Survivor Kathy Griffin, 61, Shares Warm Moment With Ozzy Osbourne As He Battles Serious Medical Issues From Parkinson’s

She captioned the post, “You think you know me but you don't! Well, @carnie68 & I finally got this dude to join our Ozzy Osbourne cover band!”

Osbourne, who recently talked about his health struggles with The Observer after undergoing a major operation this summer, is seen with his right arm around Griffin’s waist.

“He looks surprisingly good!! And of course, so do you but no surprise there,” one Instagram user commented.

Although Osbourne looked well, the rocker who has been unsteady on his feet from Parkinson’s disease had a life-altering surgery to remove and realign pins in his neck and back this past June, according to Page Six.

Before his most recent operation, Osbourne has dealt with nerve pain, blood clots, depression, staph infections, and surgery to fix his neck after falling in a bathroom in January 2019. The bathroom fall came about 16 years after the musician’s quad-bike accident at this Buckinghamshire home.

Kathy Griffin's Cancer Battle

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.

How Positive Thinking Can Help After A Cancer Diagnosis

Kathy Griffin'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."

Mental Health: Maintaining a Positive Headspace

Griffin'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."

The Facts 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.

What Happens When You've Been Newly Diagnosed With Lung Cancer

"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."

Healing from Lung Cancer

When healing from lung cancer, it's important to keep close contact with the members of your care team to let them know about the severity of your pain and discomfort, as well as any anxiety and stress that you may feel. Griffin's ability to be open about struggles coming into her life post-treatment is how she's been able to attain comfort in recovery.

"So it's important that you stay connected and, as things change that maybe don't feel right, that you connect with your care team and make sure that either they do something to make you feel better or that they reassure you that this is to be expected, because your pain will change in location and nature," says Melissa Culligan, a thoracic surgery nurse at the University of Maryland Medical Center.

Side Effects: Managing Pain and Discomfort after Lung Cancer Surgery

While Griffin appears to be listening to her body with these recent symptoms, she has also appeared to be back to her active self. Keeping active and overdoing it are two completely different things.

Getting proper rest, light exercise when feeling up to it, and eating a nourishing diet (which she looks like she has covered with the help of her live-in chef) are important elements of your healing journey.

Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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