NeNe's New Man
- NeNe Leakes, who celebrated her 54th birthday this week, lost husband Gregg to colon cancer in September and has been newly dating.
- Gregg was first diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer in 2018 and lost his battle with the disease after treatment attempts.
- It’s possible to move forward with your life while still grieving the loss of a loved one to cancer; there is no perfect timeline for the grieving process.
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We love to see NeNe looking so happy after a difficult, draining year. It’s important to find moments of joy, even amid tragic loss.
Gregg's Battle with Colon Cancer
Gregg Leakes was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer in 2018. To treat his initial bout of the disease, he had chemotherapy and surgery. Common treatments for colon cancer include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
In 2019, Leakes announced that he was cancer-free, but his cancer returned in June of this year, and he had surgery again to treat it. Gregg passed at 66 in September.
Screening for colon cancer is done via colonoscopy which looks for polyps small, white, potentially pre-cancerous growths on the colon. 95% of polyps could turn into cancer. So, when one is detected during a colonoscopy, the doctor will send it to a lab to be examined as to whether or not it is precancerous.
Getting Cleaned Out for a Colonoscopy
Moving on Through Grief
Losing a partner to cancer and working through the subsequent grief is an emotional process. It can be helped with therapy. Greif comes in waves and it takes time. It’s also possible to, while still grieving, pick up the pieces and move forward with life, as NeNe is doing after losing her husband Gregg.
Reach out for help if you need support while processing your grief. Grief can feel overwhelming and a psychologist or counselor can help you process your emotions in a safe, non-judgemental environment.
The Toughest Conversations Losing a Spouse to Cancer
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