Pierce Brosnan has posted a heartwarming photo of granddaughter, Marley, and two of his sons, Sean and Dylan, on Instagram, commemorating a “beautiful day” spent with family.
Brosnan has spoken about the importance of family and the love and support they give each other is apparent from the intimate moments he shares with his fans. Tragically, he has also spoken at length about dealing with the death of a loved one. His beloved first wife Cassandra died in 1991, when she was 43, from ovarian cancer. She endured four years of treatment — including eight surgeries and more than a year of chemotherapy. Compounding the heartache, their daughter, Charlotte — whom Harris had prior to their marriage and Brosnan adopted — also died from ovarian cancer, in 2013. She was 28.
Read MoreView this post on InstagramMarley, Sean and Dylan…a beautiful day with my granddaughter and my sons.
Supporters loved the photo, writing “Beautiful picture god bless u and your beautiful family. [heart],” “Blessings to you and your family and your families house,” and “Family is the best [heart] good work Pierce [heart].”
Brosnan has spoken openly about how deeply he was affected by the loss of his first wife, and how traumatic watching her face the disease really was. “From day one, we really had a fight on our hands. This wasn’t a shadow or a small tumor — this had invaded Cassie’s being,” Brosnan said. The actor said that all he could do was support his wife as she “took her destiny in her own hands.”
While the Irish-American actor is certainly happy in his life and devoted to his family, the pain of losing Cassandra and Charlotte to cancer, as expected, has taken its toll.
"I don't look at the cup as half full, believe me. The dark, melancholy Irish black dog sits beside me from time to time," Brosnan told Esquire when discussing the cancer in a 2017 interview.
However, as so many members of the SurvivorNet family have told us, family can make a world of difference when you are grieving — and Brosnan certainly loves spending time with his. He regularly updates his social media accounts to share photos of his children (and granddaughter!) with captions about how proud he is.
During Brosnan’s marriage to Cassandra, he also adopted her daughter Charlotte. In 2013, Charlotte also passed away from ovarian cancer at the age of 41. Cassandra’s mother also passed away due to ovarian cancer.
Information about genetic testing for ovarian cancer
While we don’t know the specifics of the Brosnans’ case, we do know that a lot of women carry genetic mutations that put them at higher risk for ovarian cancer.
Experts urge women diagnosed with ovarian cancer, to seek genetic testing at the time of diagnosis, not recurrence. A recent study found that too few women are being tested for mutations of the BRCA gene, like BRCA1 or BRCA2 both can place people at a heightened risk for breast cancer or ovarian cancer.
However, in the U.S., 90 percent of people who carry a BRCA gene mutation aren't aware of it until someone in their family gets cancer.
These gene mutations are commonly passed down among family members. In fact, if one of your blood relatives is found to carry a BRCA gene mutation, there's a 50-50 chance you could be carrying it, too.
Since BRCA mutations aren't found on the X or Y sex chromosome, you're just as likely to inherit the risks of cancers associated with BRCA from your father as you are from your mother.
Genetic testing after an ovarian cancer diagnosis can also help your oncologist determine whether certain treatments may be right for your specific cancer.
Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.
