Netflix 'Get Organized' Star Clea Shearer is On Her Feet!
- It’s been one month since professional organizer and Netflix star Clea Shearer shared her breast cancer diagnosis and upcoming surgery news with the world.
- She’s been recovering well and is already back on her feet learning a new dance!
- Removing your breasts can have a dramatic effect on your self-esteem, which is why some women who opt for a mastectomy then choose breast reconstruction surgery. It’s unclear if Clea will opt for reconstruction surgery after her double mastectomy.
In a video shared to Instagram on Sunday, Clea is seen dancing alongside her 11-year-old daughter Stella and friend. The two tweens performed a famous TikTok dance trend alongside 40-year-old Clea.
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The trio performed the famous TikTok dance trend to My Money Don't Jiggle, Jiggle, It Folds. The audio is from an interview with Louis Theroux.
Clea Shearer lives in Nashville, Tenn., with her husband, John, and their two children, Stella, 11, and Sutton, 7. She co-founded The Home Edit with her best friend and business partner Joanna Teplin, 42. Their business became such a success that Netflix opted to make a television show of it. Netflix released the second season of Get Organized with the Home Edit on April 1.
Clea Shearer’s Breast Cancer Diagnosis
Last month, Clea Shearer announced that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and that she would be undergoing a double mastectomy.
"I found a lump myself (in) the last week of February," Clea posted to Instagram on April 7. "I had been trying to make an appt with my OB(GYN) for several months, and even when I told them I found a lump, they couldn't accommodate me. I had to request a mammogram from my general doctor, which led to an ultrasound, and then an emergency triple biopsy."
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Clea, who's been sharing regular updates about her health on Instagram, was originally told her cancer was stage 1, but during the nine-hour surgery on Friday, April 8, doctors found cancer in one of her lymph nodes, which elevated the cancer to stage 2. The type of breast cancer Clea was diagnosed with hasn’t been been made public yet, but she said her cancer is "aggressive and fast-moving," however, "I caught it early."
She had two tumors, one measuring 2 centimeter in size and the other 3 centimeters (she was originally told each tumor was 1 centimeter). The tumors were sent to a lab in order to determine if Clea will need chemotherapy or radiation, and it turns out she’ll need both.
Last week, Clea shared more news with her Instagram followers that she’ll be starting chemotherapy in about two weeks on May 19.
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"Am I nervous? Absolutely. But am I ready? Absolutely. Chemo won't be fun, but it will be FINE! And when this is all done, I'm going to live to be 95," she wrote.
"For now, I'm tackling the next two weeks and getting everything I need organized and ready to go. In the meantime, I walked 3 miles today! Thanks for being with me on this journey."
According to her Instagram, Clea also underwent a second breast cancer surgery recently because “some of my skin tissue is just NOT having it…” She’s currently recovering at home.
What to Expect Post-Mastectomy Surgery
Most women with breast cancer, like Clea Shearer, will have surgery at some point in their treatment. Depending on how far your cancer has spread and your personal preferences, you and your doctor may decide to:
- Remove just the cancer and an area of healthy tissue around it (lumpectomy)
- Remove one breast (mastectomy)
- Remove both breasts (double mastectomy)
Removing your breasts can have a dramatic effect on your self-esteem, which is why some women who opt for a mastectomy then choose breast reconstruction surgery. It’s unclear if Clea will opt for reconstruction surgery after her double mastectomy. This is a highly personal choice, and there’s no "right" answer as to whether or not to reconstruct.
When Should You Consider a Mastectomy?
According to the American Cancer Society, bleeding and infection at the surgery site are possible with all operations. However, the side effects of a mastectomy can depend on the type: either a single (removing one breast) or double (removing both breasts).
Those side effects can include:
- Pain or tenderness at the surgery site
- Swelling at the surgery site
- Buildup of blood in the wound (hematoma)
- Buildup of clear fluid in the wound (seroma)
- Limited arm or shoulder movement
- Numbness in the chest or upper arm
- Neuropathic (nerve) pain (sometimes described as burning or shooting pain) in the chest wall, armpit and/or arm that doesn't go away over time. It is also called post-mastectomy pain syndrome, or PMPS.
- If axillary lymph nodes are also removed, other side effects such as lymphedema may occur.
Understanding and Treating Lymphedema
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