A Survivor Cherishing Life's Milestones
- Legendary actor and tongue cancer survivor Michael Douglas, 77, and his wife, fellow actor Catherine Zeta-Jones, 52, proudly celebrated their son Dylan’s college graduation over the weekend at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island.
- The proud parents, who have been married 21 years threw a dinner party for their son, which included a surprise appearance from Zeta-Jones’ brother Lyndon, who flew in from Wales for the festivities.
- Michael Douglas was diagnosed with stage 4 tongue cancer in 2010, and beat the disease a year later. The activist has made quite an effort since to raise awareness on oral cancers and their connection to the sexually transmitted virus, HPV, short for human papillomavirus.
The younger Douglas received his diploma from Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, and his parents each took photos with their firstborn, cherishing the official send-off into-adulthood milestone.
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Heading into the weekend, the proud parents planned a pre-graduation dinner for Dylan and his friends, and surprised the grad-to-be with a visit from Zeta’ Jones’ younger brother Lyndon, who came all the way from Wales for the big day.
“My boy, my boy … you are my pride my joy, you are my pride my joy, my boy,” the boisterous uncle came in singing as he surprised his smiling and stunned nephew.
“It was tough keeping this a secret but it was priceless,” Zeta-Jones wrote next to a posted video of the festive moment, where she can be heard off-screen giggling.
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The father-son duo recently bonded together on a weekend trip to Miami to watch Formula 1 racing held at the new Miami International Autodrome surrounding Dolphins stadium.
“Miami baby!” Douglas captioned his video captured on site, sharing that he had presented the Pirelli Pole Position Award to Formula 1 driver Charles Leclerc, and his son was with him to catch all the action. Definitely not a bad deal having Michael Douglas as a dad!
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The Chorus Line star publicly battled stage 4 throat cancer from 2010 to 2011, and thankfully beat the disease. The activist commendably continues to raise awareness on the disease and especially its connection to the human papillomavirus, known as HPV, which is sexually transmitted.
Many people are uncomfortable to see a doctor due about these types of issues. If Douglas had not done the responsible thing and took control of his health, he may not have been around for his son’s graduation and other important milestones, like his 20 year anniversary with his beautiful wife that they celebrated last year. Along with Dylan, the fun-loving power couple share a daughter named Carys, age 19.
Michael Douglas' Oral Cancer Battle
Douglas was diagnosed with stage 4 tongue cancer in 2010 after visiting a doctor for a persistent sore throat. Douglas initially said he had throat cancer, but later explained that it had been tongue cancer, and as he became more comfortable sharing his story, he provided more detail.
During the checkup at the doctor, the physician found a tumor at the base of Douglas' tongue. The actor went through radiation and chemotherapy treatments that year, and was later declared in remission. In the process, Douglas has become an advocate for raising awareness about the human papillomavirus (HPV) and its link to oral cancers.
Related: Gotten Oral Cancer, As He Publicly Wondered, From 'Performing Oral Sex?'
"Without wanting to get too specific, this particular cancer is caused by HPV, which actually comes about from cunnilingus," Douglas famously told the The Guardian a few years back. He added that he has had beating the tumor with chemotherapy and, "with this kind of cancer, 95 percent of the time it doesn't come back."
What is HPV?
Many people who are aware of the sexually-transmitted virus HPV think it only affects women and can cause cervical cancer. But men can get the virus too, and it can cause other head and neck cancers like Douglas', along with anal cancer.
Oral cancer can sometimes be caused by tobacco and alcohol use, but HPV is often a hidden culprit, according to leading experts.
Dr. Jessica Geiger of the Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center previously told SurvivorNet that both men and women can get cancer from HPV. "The strains of HPV that cause cervical cancer are the same strains of HPV that cause throat cancer,” Dr. Geiger explained.
Get the Facts HPV Can Cause Cancer in Men Too
“The average patient with HPV-related throat cancer tends to be males in their 40s or 50s, who were never a smoker, or just a very light tobacco user," she added.
Thankfully, due to people like Michael Douglas and Dr. Jessica Geiger educating on the topic, it is helping to break the stigma of talking about this virus, and the cancers it can cause. The more educated we are, the more we can be on alert for symptoms and hopefully one day, the majority of people will not be embarrassed to go seek help from a doctor.
Bottom line: Never let perceived embarrassment get in the way of your health. It could cost you your life.
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