Pierce Brosnan, Who Has Lost So Much to Ovarian Cancer — and Now COVID-19 — Celebrates Anniversary With Keely Shaye Smith: ‘Greatest Joy of My Life’

Brosnan, 66, lost his first wife, Cassandra, to ovarian cancer in 1991. Her mother also died of the disease. Later Cassandra's daughter Charlotte, who Brosnan adopted after her father died,

Brosnan, who posted this photo with his anniversary tribute, met Smith in 1994. The couple married in 2001. 

also faced an aggressive form of ovarian cancer and died at 41 in 2017. He has been open about Smith’s role in relieving the depression that swallowed him after such devastating family loss, calling her “a strength I wouldn't be able to live without.”

RELATED VIDEO: Ovarian Cancer: What Genes Have To Do With It

Smith responded with her own sweet words: “Still celebrating the day we met …on a beach in Mexico. Happy 26th my love 4/8 (1994).”

Brosnan’s COVID-19 Tragedy

Brosnan faced another loss this week, when fellow-actor Jay Benedict died of COVID-19 on April 4. “My dearest friend … brother in this life,” he said of Benedict, 68, in a tribute on

 

View this post on Instagram

 

My dearest friend Jay Benedict, brother in this life, has passed on, slipped the mortal coils this day… we were friends for so many years, forty years and change. This is a photo taken last May outside the stage door of the Lyric theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue London …the stage door was tucked in right next door to the Old Windmill Theatre. Jay and I played brothers in a Franco Zeffirelli production of Filumena … He played Ricardo the shirt maker, I played Michele the plumber. We were on that Lyric stage for the best part of year….Life was so much fun with Jay, on stage and off, we laughed a lot at the world around us, at our selves, saw the funny side of life always. He was a courageous man of handsome life force, that shone its light in every room he walked into, down every road he traveled, he shared his joyful radiance of kinship with all who knew him, a fine mind of intellect and compassion, he gave of himself in every way to the craft of acting, but above all else, he gave us all his great love of life, himself. My deepest sympathies and condolences go out to his beloved wife Phoebe, his sons Leo and Freddie, my dearest God sons, peace be with you all dear hearts. Uncle Pierce

A post shared by Pierce Brosnan (@piercebrosnanofficial) on Apr 4, 2020 at 2:47pm PDT

Instagram. Of their 40-year friendship, which culminated in a recent run in a London theatre, Brosnan said, “We were on that Lyric stage for the best part of year….Life was so much fun with Jay, on stage and off. He was a courageous man of handsome life force, that shone its light in every room he walked into.”

Dr. Ursula Matulonis of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute says patients diagnosed with ovarian cancer, she should undergo genetic testing for BRCA mutations.

The link between the ovarian cancer deaths of Cassandra, her mother and daughter is likely in the women's shared genes, and their story could be an important one to note for other women on ovarian cancer journeys.

Genetic Testing 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.

RELATED: My Life Depends on Social Distancing An Ovarian Cancer Patient's Plea

Dr. Beth Karlan, gynecologic oncologist at UCLA Medical Center did not treat Cassandra or Charlotte, but advises genetic testing can have life-saving benefits, especially because ovarian cancer is curable in over 90 percent of cases when diagnosed early on.

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"It's important when you're deciding whether or not genetic testing would benefit you to try to find out what types of things run in your family," Dr. Karlan says. "Because it can really help to save lives."

Ovarian Cancer Risk: How Much?

Ovarian cancer usually develops in women who are post-menopause. But younger women may also get the disease, especially if they carry the BRCA-1 or BRCA-2 genes. A woman who inherits the BRCA1 gene has a 44% lifetime risk (by age 80)  for developing ovarian or fallopian tube cancer., and 70-80% risk of developing breast cancer. With the BRCA2 gene, the risk for ovarian and fallopian tube cancer is 17% higher, while the breast cancer risk is around 70%

RELATED: Comedian Karen Mills Laughs About Ovarian Cancer: But This Brave Survivor's Not Kidding Around

Women should consult with their doctor, rather than relying on home genetic test kits, to identify BRCA genes. A recent study found that the home DNA testing offered by 23andME may be highly unreliable for determining cancer risk. Although the study was conducted by a market rival of 23andME and not peer-reviewed, it asserts that 23andME can miss the BRCA genes in 90 percent of women.

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