Survivor Rita & Husband Tom Celebrate 34 Years!
- Breast cancer survivor Rita Wilson, 65, recently celebrated 34 years of marriage with husband Tom Hanks.
- In 2015, Rita Wilson was diagnosed with breast cancer. She underwent a mastectomy (a surgical operation to remove a breast), followed by reconstructive surgery, in order to treat her cancer.
- Having a supportive partner or spouse through cancer can be a good emotional support system during your health battle.
Wilson shared a throwback picture of the happy pair, all decked out in their wedding day outfits, looking every bit the Hollywood power couple. She captioned it simply, “34th. 1988-2022.”
Read MoreView this post on InstagramRita Wilson’s Cancer Battle
In 2015, Rita Wilson was diagnosed with breast cancer. She underwent a mastectomy (a surgical operation to remove a breast), followed by reconstructive surgery, in order to treat her cancer. The actress and singer's specific diagnosis was invasive lobular carcinoma. This type of breast cancer is named for its point of origin: the lobules.
Invasive lobular carcinoma begins in the milk-producing glands, called lobules, of the breast. For this kind of cancer that's invasive, cancer cells have "broken out" of the lobule where they began and they may spread to other areas of the body.
Invasive lobular carcinoma only represents a small portion of breast cancers. The most common type of breast cancer starts in the breast ducts. Treatment options for breast cancer include surgery (via a mastectomy or lumpectomy), chemotherapy and radiation. Some people also have preventative mastectomies if there's a history of breast cancer in the family and thus an elevated risk of developing the disease.
When Should You Consider a Mastectomy?
How to Screen for Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is typically detected via a mammogram, the screening method for this type of cancer. Mammograms look for lumps in the breast tissue and early signs of breast cancer.
Women aged 45 to 54 with an average risk of breast cancer (i.e. no family history of the disease) should have mammograms annually. Dr. Connie Lehman, the chief of the Breast Imaging Division at Massachusetts General Hospital, says in an earlier interview, "If you haven't gone through menopause yet, I think it's very important that you have a mammogram every year."
"We know that cancers grow more rapidly in our younger patients, and having that annual mammogram can be lifesaving," says Dr. Lehman. "After menopause, it may be perfectly acceptable to reduce that frequency to every two years. But what I'm most concerned about is the women who haven't been in for a mammogram for two, three, or four years, those women that have never had a mammogram. We all agree regular screening mammography saves lives."
Supportive Partners Through Cancer
We love to see Rita Wilson and Tom thriving together as loving partners after the actress beat cancer. Having a supportive partner or spouse through a cancer battle can help. In an earlier interview, actress and melanoma survivor Jill Kargman candidly expresses how she believes that cancer can be a litmus test for the strength of a relationship.
She says, “I think cancer is a great way to find out if you’re with the love of your life or a shithead. I think it presses the fast forward button on getting to the bottom of that answer, because a lot of people in middle age are kind of at a crossroads, waiting for their kids to fly the coop.”
Kargman continues, “And I think if you’re with someone who is not supportive and kind of emotionally checked out or doesn’t tell you you’re still beautiful with that, this might not be your person.”
Jill Kargman on Relationships and Cancer
SurvivorNet reporter Sydney Shaefer contributed to this article.
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