“Today Show” host Jill Martin, 47, attended a star-studded red carpet event in New York City, appearing glamorous and happy. This comes just a few months removed from her completing grueling chemotherapy and radiotherapy for stage 2 breast cancer.
Part of what makes Martin’s journey so relatable for cancer patients is her willingness to share how the grueling side effects of treatment affected her, which include nausea, vomiting, and hair loss.
Chemotherapy stops cancerous cells from growing, dividing, and spreading to other organs. It works by traveling through the bloodstream, killing cancerous cells. However, the process also impacts healthy cells, leading to side effects.
Radiation therapy uses high-energy beams such as X-rays targeted at cancer cells to kill them. For breast cancer patients, radiation is commonly used after surgery to kill off any remaining cancer cells in the breast or surrounding area.
Though radiation is painless during its administration, radiation therapy can cause skin irritations, fatigue, and hair loss in the short term.
Your doctor will help you manage the side effects by adjusting your medication or offering recommendations to help you cope, such as pressure bracelets and breathing exercises for nausea or cryotherapy (scalp cooling devices), which minimizes hair loss.
If losing your hair is a concern before cancer treatment, know that you have options, such as wigs, hats, wraps, and scarves, to maintain your self-esteem.
“Today Show” host Jill Martin, 47, is a force to be reckoned with. Just months after completing rigorous breast cancer treatment, which included grueling chemotherapy and radiation, she graces the red carpet at a glamorous event in New York City, radiating resilience and strength.
Martin made a powerful statement by sharing a video set to the upbeat tune of the Jonas Brothers’ “Celebrate.” Dressed in an elegant cream-colored gown, her hair sleek and smile radiant, she exuded undeniable confidence and joy.
Supportive fans showered Martin with positive energy with their comments.
“Stop! Jill! Gorgeous. You look so happy and healthy… I’m so emotional…and Garden of Dreams!!!” Instagram user and Fox 5 New York sports anchor Tina Cervasio commented.
“You are breathtaking. You truly are an inspiration to all,” Instagram user Sharyn Levine commented.
Martin has captured the hearts of many people after publicly sharing her breast cancer diagnosis last summer on the “Today Show.” Since then, she’s taken people along for her cancer journey, which has been both emotional and inspiring thanks to her kind fighting spirit.
Helping Patients Cope with a Breast Cancer Diagnosis
The brave and resilient journalist was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer last year. Her diagnosis came shortly after she underwent genetic testing and learned she carried the BRCA gene mutation, which increased her chance of developing cancer, including breast and ovarian.
After Brooks learned she carried the BRCA gene, she planned to get a preventative mastectomy to minimize her cancer risk. The procedure Brooks attempted to pursue is a prophylactic or preventive mastectomy, which removes breast tissue to prevent cancer from developing. This procedure is an option for women at higher risk, such as Brooks, who carried the BRCA gene mutation.
(@jillmartin/Instagram)
As the “Steals and Deals” guru said previously, she’s undergoing an aggressive form of chemo called “the red devil.” This form of chemo involves anthracyclines, an adjuvant chemotherapy treatment given after surgery. Research published in JACC: CardioOncology says anthracyclines offer a “10% improvement in disease-free survival and a 7% improvement in overall survival, compared with the initial standard regimen of cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and 5-fluorouracil.”
Anthracycline and taxane (a class of chemotherapy drugs) have become a mainstay for breast cancer treatment. However, despite the effectiveness of these chemotherapy drugs, they come with intense side effects such as nausea, vomiting, and alopecia (hair loss), which helped give it its “red devil” nickname.
Brooks’ treatment also involved a double mastectomy (removal of both breasts), and she had 17 lymph nodes removed. She said she still has more treatment ahead of her with a hysterectomy to reduce her ovarian cancer risk further because of the BRCA gene mutation.
The Types of Chemotherapy Side Effects Martin Faced
Chemotherapy is an effective tool for oncologists to help treat cancer by stopping cancerous cells from growing, dividing, and spreading to other organs. Chemo works by traveling through the bloodstream, killing cancerous cells. However, the process also impacts healthy cells, leading to side effects.
Patients almost universally experience fatigue, often alongside gastrointestinal side effects, such as nausea. Doctors have many effective medications to combat chemo-induced nausea. “But mitigating that fatigue often depends on the patient,” says Dr. Renata Urban, a gynecologic oncologist at the University of Washington in Seattle.
(@jillmartin/Instagram)
“Neuropathy is probably one of the most challenging side effects,” says Dr. Renata Urban, a gynecologic oncologist at the University of Washington in Seattle. Neuropathy results from damage to the peripheral nerves. It usually resolves after chemotherapy treatment, but sometimes symptoms can persist. While it’s typically characterized by numbness or a pins-and-needles sensation in the hands and feet, neuropathy can have several different symptoms, including:
Weakness in the hands or feet
Stabbing or burning pain in the hands or feet
Difficulty gripping, such as when holding a fork
Difficulty with fine motor skills, such as writing or buttoning a shirt
Nausea and vomiting are common side effects of chemotherapy. When chemotherapy affects the rapidly dividing cells in the stomach lining, the resulting cellular havoc in the gastrointestinal tract can lead to side effects such as nausea and vomiting. However, doctors can help patients mitigate the hit with various medications before, during, and after treatment.
“Part of the chemotherapy prescription includes a set regimen of anti-nausea medications,” says Dr. Renata Urban, a gynecologic oncologist at the University of Washington in Seattle. “We also ensure that patients have medications at home that they can use should they develop nausea after treatment.”
Jill Coped With Hair Loss
Months into Martin’s cancer journey, she shared social media clips of her experiencing hair loss.
She shared an Instagram story of herself shopping for wigs. The “Steals and Deals” guru admitted early on in her cancer journey that her hair meant a lot to her, so losing some of it during treatment has been an emotional blow.
(@jillmartin/Instagram)
Within the social media clip, she showed herself trying on a blonde wig that mirrored her natural hair color and looks.
Hair loss can be an emotional stage of anyone’s cancer journey. SurvivorNet has tips and resources for anyone facing this side effect and struggling to manage it.
“For cancer patients, losing one’s hair can be unbelievably stressful. To start with, the dread of losing one’s hair can lead to some sleepless nights and feelings of anxiety,” Dr. Samantha Boardman, a New York-based psychiatrist and author, told SurvivorNet.
Chemotherapy can cause hair loss. It usually begins about three to four weeks after chemotherapy and continues throughout treatment.
WATCH: Hair loss during chemo.
It happens because this treatment targets quickly dividing cells throughout the body. That includes cancer cells but also hair cells.
Radiation is another treatment that can lead to hair loss if the hair is in the path of the tumor being treated. For example, radiation for a brain tumor may cause hair loss on the head.
“If you do lose hair, it will regrow several weeks or months after treatment,” radiation oncologist at GensisCare Dr. James Taylortells SurvivorNet.
“Fortunately, for most patients, hair loss is not a concern when having radiation therapy.”
Most patients can expect regrowth four to six weeks after treatment. However, it is possible when your hair grows back, you may notice some changes in its color and texture.
Dr. Boardman suggests connecting with others experiencing cancer treatment like yours and asking them for first-hand advice.
“Talk to people who have been through it, get their advice, voice your concerns to your caregiver, and see what they can do,” Dr. Boardman added.
If losing your hair is a concern before cancer treatment, know you have options like wigs, hats, wraps, and more.
Understanding Scalp Cooling Devices
Brooks wears a cold cap during infusions to help protect her hair follicles. Scalp-cooling devices have been approved by the FDA recently, first for breast cancer and then several other cancers.
That means wearing cold caps or special cooling caps before, during, and after each chemotherapy treatment.
The caps, which are tightly fitting and strap-on helmet-style, are filled with gel coolant chilled to -15 to -40 degrees Fahrenheit.
Essentially, the caps “cause vasoconstriction, or a narrowing of the blood vessels bringing blood to the scalp,” Dr. Renata Urban, gynecologic oncologist at the University of Washington, explains.
By constricting the blood flow to the scalp, the caps limit the circulating chemotherapy that reaches the hair follicles, protecting them from some of the chemo’s damaging effects.
The cold also decreases the activity of the hair follicles, slowing down cell division and making the follicles less affected by the chemotherapy medicine.
WATCH: What is a scalp-cooling device?
Dr. Julie Nangia, a medical oncologist at Baylor College of Medicine and a lead author on one of the significant studies of the device, says 50% of women were able to keep their hair after four rounds of chemotherapy, and added: “Without the devices, 100% of patients lost their hair.”
There have been some safety questions when it comes to scalp-cooling, but Dr. Nangia says that when given to people with solid tumors (like breast, ovarian, colon, and lung cancer), the devices are safe.
(Celebrating Milestones)
Earlier this year, Martin finally completed radiation therapy, which came shortly after she finished grueling “Red Devil” chemotherapy.
In a new social media post, Martin was overwhelmed with glee as she walked into her doctor’s office to receive her last treatment. As the sweet sounds of Eumir Deodato and Kool and the Gang’s “Celebration” blared over loudspeakers, Martin gazed at mini-strobe lights shining throughout the room. Following her last treatment, Martin hugged her care team, closing the door on this stage of her breast cancer journey.
For cancer warriors and their families, reaching life’s milestones is a big deal. Milestones can be the birth of a child or grandchild, getting married, traveling on a dream vacation, reaching another birthday, or something else. Most importantly, these milestones during or after a cancer battle tend to have a more significant meaning because, often, cancer patients gain a greater sense of gratitude toward their lives.
What To Ask Your Doctor
If you have been diagnosed with breast cancer, you may have questions about keeping your strength through treatment. Here are a few questions to help you begin the conversation with your doctor:
What treatment will I be receiving?
What side effects are associated with this treatment?
Are there steps I can take daily to help minimize these side effects?
What physical activity routine do you recommend for me during treatment?
Do you have recommendations for someone who doesn’t particularly enjoy exercise?
Can you recommend a dietician who can help me with healthy eating tips and weight maintenance?
I’ve been having trouble sleeping. Do you have any treatment recommendations?
