‘Married With Children’ Star Christina Applegate, 54, Method of Coping With Breast Cancer Was Focusing on Helping Other Women at Risk of Getting the Disease

“It was my way of coping with how brokenhearted I was to lose my breasts,” she writes.

In the years after her diagnosis, the “Married With Children” star founded “Right Action for Women,” an organization focused on helping women at higher risk detect breast cancer early. A few years later, in 2014, she participated in a public awareness campaign alongside “Stand Up To Cancer” and “Cancer Treatment Centers of America.”

“I know first-hand how important it is to have a strong support system,” said Emmy Award-winning actress Applegate. “It was a sense of community that helped me, as well as many others, get through a time that is never easy,” Applegate said at the time.

“To this day, I feel emotionally and physically mangled by what I went through, but the organization mitigates the terrible loss I felt and feel,” she explains.

Applegate’s Breast Cancer Journey

“I went through five weeks of work without telling anyone that this was going on in my life,” she recalled in a CNN interview.

Applegate explained that because she had dense breasts, her routine mammograms required more detailed follow-up.

“He suggested that I get an MRI,” she said, and that scan revealed something concerning.

“They found some funky things going on [in one breast],” she added.

WATCH: What to know about dense breasts.

Dr. Connie Lehman, Chief of the Breast Imaging Division at Mass General Hospital, notes that dense breast tissue can make cancers harder to detect.

“The fatty breast tissue has a gray appearance, so an X-ray beam just runs right through it. But the dense structures block the X-ray. And so that looks white. Unfortunately, cancers also block the X-ray, so they also look white. When you have a white cancer hiding in white, dense breast tissue, it can be missed,” she explains.

For this reason, 3D mammograms are often recommended for women with dense breasts.

A biopsy confirmed Applegate’s diagnosis, though the cancer was caught early. She channeled her fear into action, undergoing a lumpectomy to remove the tumor and surrounding tissue.

Research shows that for early-stage breast cancer, lumpectomy followed by radiation can be as effective as a mastectomy. She completed six weeks of radiation, but during treatment learned she carried a BRCA mutation, significantly raising her risk for breast and ovarian cancer.

WATCH: Testing for the BRCA gene mutation.

“That sort of changed everything for me. Radiation was something temporary, and it wasn’t addressing the issue of this coming back… I sort of had to kind of weigh all my options at that point,” she explained.

Experts note that BRCA mutations are inherited, giving each child of a carrier a 50% chance of inheriting the variant.

“Patients with a strong family history of breast cancer or ovarian cancer or patients who have a diagnosis of a couple of breast cancers in their lifetime will be at higher risk,” Dr. Kate Tkaczuk says.

After reviewing her options, Applegate chose a preventative double mastectomy—an emotionally complex decision for many women.

“It just seemed like, ‘I don’t want to have to deal with this again… I just want to be done with this,’ and I was just going to let them go,” she said.

Before surgery, she staged her “first and last nude photo shoot” to remember her breasts, and she broke down as the procedure began.

“The floodgates just opened up, and I lost it… It’s also a part of you that’s gone, so you go through a grieving process and a mourning process,” Dr. Tkaczuk explains.

WATCH: What happens during a double mastectomy.

Dr. Elisa Port, Chief of Breast Surgery at Mount Sinai Health System, notes that “a double mastectomy typically takes about two hours for the cancer part of the operation,” with total time depending on reconstruction.

Implant-based reconstruction can add two to three hours, while procedures using a patient’s own tissue take longer.

Since her diagnosis, Applegate has used her experience to advocate for women to get the screenings they need for early detection.

How Breast Reconstruction Works

RELATED: Did You Know Most Health Insurers Are Required To Pay For Breast Reconstruction Surgery?

“Breast reconstruction is a restoration of a woman’s form and her sense of self. A lot of breast reconstruction is trying to erase the trauma of the mastectomy surgery, putting cancer behind a patient, saying this is in the rearview mirror, and putting her back on track,” Dr. Andrea Pusic, chief of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Brigham Health, previously told SurvivorNet.

WATCH: Breaking Down Breast Reconstruction Options

Plastic surgeons can reconstruct your breasts with implants or with your own tissue taken from some other place on your body, such as your back, your abdomen, or your inner thigh. Reconstruction that uses your own tissue is called a flap procedure. A flap can produce breasts that look and feel more natural than implants.

Like natural breasts, they can also change as your body changes. For example, they can get bigger or smaller as your weight changes. However, not all women are eligible for this surgery, such as those who smoke, have poorly controlled diabetes, circulation problems, or connective tissue disorders. Luckily, there’s another option.

Breast implant surgery is a significantly more straightforward process than a flap procedure; therefore, the recovery process is much quicker. However, implants won’t look and feel as much like natural breasts. As you age or gain or lose weight, the implants will stay the same, which could make them look less natural over time.

Implants can sometimes leak or burst. In this case, you would have to have them replaced. When choosing implants, women will then need to decide whether they want saline or silicone ones.

The main difference between the two is that saline is a sterile saltwater-filled implant and typically requires less monitoring since it’ll be pronounced if it starts leaking. While silicone implants usually feel better and look more realistic, they require more surveillance during an MRI. Additionally, if the silicone leaks, it doesn’t jeopardize your health, but it will need to be replaced immediately.

WATCH: Regaining your sense of self after reconstruction.

Reconstruct Now or Later?

Immediate reconstruction can produce better-looking results than delayed reconstruction, resulting in fewer surgeries overall. However, it may require a longer initial hospitalization and recovery time. This long surgery may also have a higher risk of complications, such as infections, than two separate surgeries.

It may be worth noting that “Delayed reconstruction has fewer complications than immediate reconstruction,” Dr. Terry Myckatyn, a plastic surgeon specializing in breast reconstruction, tells SurvivorNet.

Coping With Your New Body After Cancer Treatment

Munn shared that she is coping with changes to her physical appearance now. Cancer survivors often struggle with the changes others can see, whether temporary or permanent, like hair loss and weight gain. However, survivors also struggle with changes that may not be as obvious — such as infertility — and these can create body image issues and make survivors feel vulnerable.

One way to prepare yourself for possible body changes during cancer treatment is to understand that changes are possible but also, frequently, 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 as well.

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 survivors to take ownership of the part (or parts) of their body impacted mainly by cancer treatment. She says that although they may represent “fear and pain,” they also represent “strength and courage.”

“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.

What’s Christina’s Ongoing Journey With Multiple Sclerosis Like?

Ever since her diagnosis in 2021, Applegate has worked hard to learn to live with her diagnosis while not letting it overtake her life. However, the brave and resilient actress admits the fight against multiple sclerosis is a tough adversary. In her memoir, “You With the Sad Eyes,” which is set for release next Spring, Applegate goes into detail about her health struggles.

“My memoir is about survival and all the things that I never told anyone: the good stuff, the terrible stuff, the hilarious stuff, the shitty, sad stuff. Things some of my closest friends don’t know,” Applegate said in her first Instagram video blog.

Another aspect of Applegate’s life that multiple sclerosis has caused added strife is her relationship with her daughter, Sadie.

“In my situation, Sadie only knew me as healthy and a runner and a Pelotoner and a dancer—and she only knew that,” Applegate shared on her podcast MeSsy, which she co-hosts with fellow actress Jamie Lynn Sigler. “So then when this came about in 2021, she was, like, stoic about it.”

“I see her look at me when I’m in bed and can’t quite move, or I want to go say goodnight to her in her room, but I can’t quite get down the hallway for whatever reason, my legs aren’t working that day,” she said. “It’s broken her.”

Sadie, now 14, has had to adjust to a new version of her mother—one who can no longer dance, run, or move with ease. “Mommy can’t do all the things she was once able to do,” Applegate explained. “It’s like losing the mom she had… and when multiple sclerosis came about, she was stoic about it. Then I see how she looks at me.”

“With the disease of MS, it’s never a good day,” Applegate previously wrote on Instagram.“Having MS f—ing sucks… You just have little s— days,” she added, summing up the relentless grind that defines her experience.

Applegate has shared that even the most basic tasks — showering, climbing stairs, and carrying objects — have become daunting. While she’s learned to manage many of her symptoms over time, multiple sclerosis remains a chronic condition, one that she acknowledges she’ll live with for the rest of her life.

Living with Incurable Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis causes the immune system to attack cells that form the protective sheath that covers nerve fibers in the spinal cord. The disruption leads to communication problems between the brain and the rest of the body.

Once the protective barrier is damaged, the spinal cord struggles to communicate with the body’s arms, legs, and other parts to function normally.

There is no cure for M.S., but people living with multiple sclerosis may find tools to help manage their symptoms.

Common tools M.S. patients use to improve their quality of life include wheelchairs, canes, leg braces, and some medical treatments called disease-modifying therapies (DMTs).

Living with Incurable Multiple Sclerosis

A study in American Family Physician found that DMTs “have been shown to slow disease progression and disability; options include injectable agents, infusions, and oral medications targeting different sites in the inflammatory pathway.”

WATCH: SurvivorNetTV Presents: Defying All Odds – A World-Renowned Doctor’s Incredible Journey Through MS

Research published in Frontiers in Neurology last year says autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT) (also called bone marrow transplantation, with autologous meaning a patient’s own cells) used for multiple sclerosis therapy helps “reset the immune system.” Several studies and clinical trials using AHSCT have shown promise.

“In a meta-analysis of published studies using AHSCT for M.S. treatment, the pooled estimated transplant-related mortality was 2.1%, the two-year disease progression rate was 17.1%, the five-year progression rate of 23.3%, and a pooled 83% of patients had no evidence of disease activity at two years. Patients who had the most benefit and the least mortality rate were patients with relapsing-remitting M.S. (RRMS).”

Additional research published by NEJM Journal Watch says that AHSCT helps MS patients reduce relapses better than other forms of MS treatment.

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society outlines the different types of multiple sclerosis:

• Clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) is when an individual experiences a single neurological episode lasting 24 hours or less. CIS is what M.S. is diagnosed as until there is a second episode.
• Relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS): The most common M.S. among the million people battling the disease in the U.S., RRMS is marked by sudden flare-ups, new symptoms, or worsening of symptoms and cognitive function. The condition will then go into remission for some time before reemerging with no known warning signs.
• Primary progressive M.S. (PPMS): These individuals have no flare-ups or remission, just a steady decline with progressively worse symptoms and an increasing loss of cognitive and body functions.
• Secondary progressive M.S. (SPMS): This is an almost transitional form of M.S. that progresses from RRMS to PPMS.

Questions for Your Doctor

If you are diagnosed with MS or are concerned you have the chronic disease due to symptoms you’re experiencing, consider asking your doctor the following questions.

• Although there’s no cure for MS, which treatment option do you recommend to manage my symptoms?
• Are there any potential side effects of MS treatment?
• What if the treatment to manage symptoms doesn’t work?
• Will exercise or therapy help my symptoms?
• Are there any MS support groups you recommend to help me cope?

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