The Power of Faith
- Rapper LL Cool J is celebrating his 30th wedding anniversary with his wife Simone Smith, a mom of four who beat rare bone cancer, a diagnosis that arose after discovering a knot on her leg while getting a leg wax in 2004. After undergoing a 15-hour surgery to remove the tumor and taking two years to relearn how to walk. She’s now cancer-free.
- The type of cancer Smith beat is called chondrosarcoma. It’s a form of cancer that originates in cartilage cells, typically affecting the bones of the pelvis, chest, arms, and legs.
- New York City Presbyterian Pastor Tom Evans previously spoke with SurvivorNet about how faith can help people cope with the complex emotions that come with cancer.
- “It’s important to reach out in a simple prayer to God, even if you’ve never prayed before, you don’t know what to say, a heartfelt plea, ‘God, help me, be with me,’” Pastor Evans told SurvivorNet.
The 57-year-old hip-hop star, whose nickname stands for “Ladies Love Cool James” first met Smith back in 1987. The loving dup married on August 7, 1995, and their dedication to each other over the past three decades is undeniably impressive.
Read MoreSmith, who was diagnosed with a rare stage 3 bone cancer called chondrosarcoma in 2004 and later beat the disease, took to Instagram on Thursday to commemorate the milestone event with a throwback photo.View this post on Instagram
She captioned the sentimental photo, “30 years of marriage today. All glory to our Lord and savior Jesus the Christ!
“Marriage isn’t for the weak, it’s for the faithful. It takes work, love, listening, picking your battles, being a friend, a prayer warrior, a cheerleader, and a safe place.”
The heartfelt caption continued, “Every marriage has its own DNA. There’s no blueprint… just grace, commitment, and two people willing to grow through every season together.
“We’ve laughed, cried, prayed, forgiven, and grown—together. We did the work, and God did the rest.”
How Faith Can Influence Your Cancer Journey
Smith’s compassionate and faith-filled tribute to her husband prompted sweet commentary and praise from fans, with one writing, “Happy anniversary family!!! God is truly amazing!!!!! Let’s go love!!! Keep being the example of true love!!!! We love you guys.”
“Happy Anniversary!!!! Your Union is one of the best I’ve ever seen! The epitome of loyalty,” another fan commented.
A third wrote, “Happy Blessed Anniversary. May God keep blessing and covering this union.”
Simone Smith’s Battle With Rare Bone Cancer
Simone Smith, who is in remission from a rare form of bone cancer called chondrosarcoma, shared her cancer journey in an earlier interview with ET, sharing that a “knot” in her leg ultimately led to her diagnosis.
Smith recounted undergoing a grueling 15-hour surgery, where doctors removed her right tibia and replaced it with her left fibula. The procedure also involved inserting a steel rod, screws, nails, and micro veins taken from her other leg.
She said, “I was working out with my trainer, walking, talking, not paying no mind, walked into the waste basket and it hit that little knot. That sent me to the doctor, and that’s when I found out I had a chondrosarcoma stage three tumor in my right tibia bone.
“It was a two and a half year recovery, where I had to learn to walk again. I went from a wheelchair to two crutches, to one crutch to a cane.”
Simone praised her beloved husband for being her “rock” during that arduous time.
She also recalled LL Cool J suggesting to give her his own fibula bone as it would be “bigger and stronger.”
View this post on Instagram
Simone, who has since become an advocate for the disease, previously spread awareness for the disease in a promotional video for the “Beat Cancer Like a Boss” campaign
In the video, Smith wears pieces from her own jewelry collection while her husband of 25 years gazes confidently into the camera and says, “How did my wife beat cancer? Like a boss.” They were joined by celebrities such as Mary J. Blige, Jordin Sparks, and others, all lending their voices to help spread awareness about cancer.
“‘Boss is battling cancer by finding your inner strength,” explained Smith with calm, cool courage in her promo footage for the American Cancer Center.
“Cancer left its mark, but it couldn’t beat the boss within.”
LL Cool J also chimed in, “She’s definitely been a boss.”
View this post on Instagram
We’re delighted to see Simon and her husband’s passion for each other continuing to thrive after battling cancer. She ultimately launched her own jewelry line to help raise funds for organizations such as the American Cancer Society (ACS).
She said in an early Instagram post promoting her jewelry, “I passionately love God. I’m passionately in love with my husband. I love and mother my children and grandson with a passion.
“Designing jewelry, that brings style and beauty to all the Queens that wear it, is my PASSION. ”
All About Sarcoma Cancer
Sarcomas are cancers that arise from the cells that hold the body together. They can occur in muscles, nerves, bones, fat, tendons, cartilage or other forms of connective tissues.
“There are hundreds of different kinds of sarcomas, which come from different kinds of cells,” Dr. George Demetri, director of the Sarcoma and Bone Oncology Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, told SurvivorNet in an earlier interview.
The word sarcoma refers to a large array of bone and soft tissue cancers; those are then further broken down into more specific forms of the disease, however, we will not list them all as there are more than 50 types of soft tissue sarcomas.
“Sarcomas are rare and the cause in most patients is unknown,” Dr. Vishal Gupta, site director of Radiation Oncology at The Blavatnik Family Chelsea Medical Center at Mount Sinai, previously told SurvivorNet.
The word sarcoma refers to a large array of bone and soft tissue cancers, and individual cancers within that set go by unique names. For instance, other types of sarcomas include:
- Chondrosarcoma is an uncommon form of bone cancer that originates in the cartilage cells. Among adults, it is the most frequently occurring type of bone cancer.
- Ewing’s sarcoma is a cancer that typically occurs in and around the bones, often in the arms or legs, or the bones of the pelvis. It most commonly occurs in children and young adults.
- Kaposi sarcoma is a very rare type of cancer that causes lesions on the skin, in lymph nodes, organs, and the mucous membranes of the mouth, nose, and throat. It typically affects people with compromised immune systems, such as those with HIV.
- Epithelioid sarcoma is a type of soft tissue cancer that grows slowly. It is likely to begin under the skin of areas like the finger, hand, forearm, lower part of the leg, or foot.
- Synovial sarcoma, also called malignant synovioma, is a cancer that can form soft tissues such as muscle or ligaments, commonly close to joints or in areas like the arm, leg, or foot.
- Osteogenic sarcoma, also called osteosarcoma, starts in the bone, often as it is forming as a young person grows.
- Spindle cell sarcoma is very rare, comprising as little as 2 percent of all primary bone cancer cases. It can start in the bone, often in the arms, legs, and pelvis, and usually occurs in people over 40.
- Angiosarcoma: a rare cancer that develops in the inner lining of blood vessels and lymph vessels. It can occur anywhere in the body but is most often found in the skin, breast, liver and spleen.
Sarcoma Symptoms
The typical symptom of sarcomas is a slow-growing, painless mass. But sarcoma can be hard to detect through symptoms. “Unfortunately, most sarcomas do not cause many of the symptoms that may be associated with other cancer,” Dr. Dale Shepard, director of the Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute Phase I and Sarcoma Programs, told SurvivorNet in an earlier interview.
Shepard explains that this often leads to large tumors at the time of diagnosis. “Soft tissue sarcomas are typically painless,” he says.
“Bone sarcomas may be mistaken for orthopedic injuries. A mass the size of a golf ball or larger and growing should be evaluated as a potential sarcoma. It’s important that patients who do have symptoms are not dismissive of them.”
Why Faith Offers Cancer Patients Hope
A study published in “Cancer” includes data that found “69% of cancer patients reported praying for their health” compared to “only 45% of the general U.S. population.”
Cancer psychologist Dr. Andrew Kneier helped co-author “Coping with Cancer: Ten Steps toward Emotional Well-Being.” He also co-authored a column published by Stanford Medicine with Rabbi Jeffery M. Silberman, director of spiritual care at Danbury Hospital in Connecticut.
The two add more context to the impact faith has on cancer patients.
“A person’s faith or spirituality provides a means for coping with illness and reaching a deeper kind of inner healing,” Kneier and Silberman said.
“Coping means different things to different people: it can involve finding answers to the questions that illness raises, it can mean seeking comfort for the fears and pain that illness brings, and it can mean learning how to find a sense of direction at a time of illness. Religious teachings can help a person cope in all of these dimensions,” Kneier and Silberman continued.
WATCH: Three-time cancer survivor shares how her faith helped her during cancer.
New York City Presbyterian Pastor Tom Evans tells SurvivorNet about the importance of finding ways to cope with the complex web of feelings you may be experiencing after a challenging health diagnosis, such as cancer.
“It’s important to reach out in a simple prayer to God, even if you’ve never prayed before, you don’t know what to say, a heartfelt plea, ‘God, help me, be with me,’” Pastor Evans told SurvivorNet.
“You can reach out to God, and you can reach out to people, your friends and family, and say, ‘I can’t do this on my own. I need you.’ “It’s in that willingness to be open and to receive that we can find something deeper that we never would’ve encountered without this hardship,” Evans continued.
WATCH: A Sacred and Blessed Calling
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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