Cancer Advocates Team Up in New Superhero Movie
- Did you know that Pierce Brosnan lost his first wife and his adopted daughter to ovarian cancer? The actor has since become an outspoken cancer advocate.
- Brosnan will appear as Dr. Fate aside another cancer cheerleader, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, in the upcoming DC superhero film Black Adam.
- The film tells the story of Black Adam, played by The Rock, who grew up as a slave 5,000 years ago in an ancient civilization called Kahndaq. He was imprisoned when he fought back against his captors…until now.
The teaser reveals epic costumes and a star-studded cast. The movie is a spin off from the 2019 superhero film Shazam! It tells the story of Black Adam, played by The Rock, who grew up 5,000 years ago in an ancient civilization called Kahndaq. The character was enslaved, and he was sentenced to prison when he fought back against his captors.
Read MorePierce Brosnan: The Actor's Journey with Cancer
Pierce Brosnan's looks and talent have never faded, but he has suffered unimaginable personal loss over the course of his acting career.Brosnan's first wife, Cassandra Harris, died of ovarian cancer in 1991 at 43 years old. In 2013, twenty-two years after Harris's passing, Brosnan also lost his daughter Charlotte to ovarian cancer. She was only 41-years-old.
There are certain changes you can make to your life to reduce the risk of contracting ovarian cancer, such as having children and taking birth control.
The superstar actor has spoken publicly about the devastation and grief he experienced through these losses. "I was in a helpless state of confusion and anger," he told People. Speaking at the Stand Up To Cancer telecast in 2014, Brosnan said, "To watch someone you love have his or her life eaten away bit by bit by this insidious disease, that part of your sorrow becomes an indelible part of your psyche. I held the generous, strong, beautiful hand of my first wife Cassie as ovarian cancer took her life much too soon. Just last year, I held the hand of my funny, wonderful daughter Charlotte, before she too died from this wretched inherited disease."
Brosnan's heartbreak is still a part of him, but the love he has found in his life since his losses and his continued professional success remind us that there are always more beautiful things to experience, even after profound loss.
Finding Peace After Loss
Brosnan stayed right by his first wife Cassandra's side while she battled ovarian cancer. She fought for four years, before eventually succumbing to the disease. For Brosnan to lose his daughter Charlotte to the same disease is almost unimaginable. Since Brosnan's loved ones have passed, the actor has become an advocate for raising awareness about cancer screening and diagnosis, and his story has inspired many.
Doug Wednt lost his wife to ovarian cancer. Here, he discusses facing cancer as a team, and moving forward after losing a loved one to cancer.
Coping with losing his wife and daughter was understandably an extremely difficult process for Brosnan, but he was able to find peace through art and meeting his second wife Keely. Brosnan and his wife Keely met in 1994, and the actor has said she's helped him heal from heartbreak. Having been together for 26 years, and married for nearly 20, Brosnan is proof that even though losing loved ones is always difficult, it's possible to move forward and make new, incredible memories.
Ovarian Cancer & Genetics
Ovarian cancer is when the ovaries which produce the sex hormone, estrogen, as well as eggs become cancerous. Women have two ovaries, one on either side of the uterus.
The fallopian tube, which brings the egg from the ovary to the uterus for fertilization, is actually where many ovarian cancers begin. First, a few cancerous cells develop on the fallopian tubes, then these cells stick to the ovaries as the fallopian tubes brush over the ovary. From there, the cancerous cells grow to form a tumor.
Women with a family history of ovarian cancer are at high risk for developing this disease; because of this, doctors encourage that these women get genetic testing.
Having a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation makes women more susceptible to ovarian cancer. The BRCA1 (BReast CAncer 1) or BRCA2 (BReast CAncer 2) genes help cells repair their DNA damage. Having a change, or mutation, in one of these genes increases a woman's risk of developing ovarian and breast cancer. These gene mutations are commonly passed down in families; if a parent carries a BRCA gene mutation, there is a 50-50 chance you could be carrying it as well.
After genetic testing, doctors tell SurvivorNet, options should be discussed with your doctor. There are specific guidelines in place that women are generally advised to follow. Those guidelines include a preventative procedure to remove a woman’s reproductive organs, but there are various routes a woman can take depending on her life stage, including a complete hysterectomy, or just removing the fallopian tubes and ovaries while keeping the uterus in tact.
“There are lots of options,” world-renowned gynecological oncologist Dr. Beth Karlan of UCLA Health tells SurvivorNet, however, “they need to be individualized.”
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