Pierce's Paintings
- Actor Pierce Brosnan shared a throwback photo of his paintings from the 90s, painted several years after his first wife passed from ovarian cancer.
- Pierce’s daughter, Charlotte, passed from the same disease in 2013.
- Coping with cancer-related loss is a personal process that can be helped with therapy and support groups.
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Pierce’s Cancer Losses
Brosnan’s first wife, Cassandra, passed from ovarian cancer in 1991. And years later, in 2013, Pierce and Cassandra’s daughter, Charlotte, died of the same disease. Cassandra was 43 when she passed, and her daughter was even younger Charlotte passed at the too-young age of 43.
Dr. Beth Karlan, a Gynecologic Oncologist at UCLA Medical Center, spoke in an earlier interview about detecting this ovarian cancer, which is often called “the cancer that whispers,” due to its hard-to-spot symptoms. "What we've found from multiple studies, it's this constellation of symptoms,” she said. If that's really happening and you're experiencing it every day, and they seem to be crescendoing, getting worse, even if that goes on for only two weeks, you should call your doctor."
Ovarian Cancer: The Cancer That Whispers
Coping with Grief
Coping with cancer-related losses, as Brosnan has, is a slow and individual process. We’re glad that Brosnan found coping mechanisms, like painting and creativity, to help him along the way. Some find other resources, like therapy and support groups, to be helpful when grieving a loved one. Camila Legaspi lost her mom to breast cancer and told us in a previous interview that therapy was tremendously helpful for her. “Therapy saved my life. I was dealing with some really intense anxiety and depression at that point. It just changed my life, because I was so drained by all the negativity that was going on. Going to a therapist helped me realize that there was still so much out there for me, that I still had my family, that I still had my siblings.”
Legaspi said therapy helped her to keep perspective, too. “The reality is, is when you lose someone, it’s really, really, really hard. And it’s totally OK to talk to someone. And I’m so happy that I talked to my therapist. Keep your chin up, and it’s going to be OK. No matter what happens, it’s going to be OK. There are so many of us that have gone through the same thing that you’re going through. And, together, we’re all going to get through it.”
"Therapy Saved My Life": After Losing A Loved One, Don't Be Afraid To Ask For Help
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