Healthy Wife, Healthy Life
- Tarek El Moussa, most known for his long-running show Flip or Flop, never hesitates to celebrate his partner and new wife Heather Rae Young on his social media channels, which is inspiring to see.
- The two-time cancer survivor knows firsthand how important it is to have a healthy support system at home and recently showed his appreciation on Instagram.
- If there are already issues in the relationship, cancer definitely has a way to magnify them! Conversely, cancer can sometimes help partners grow stronger together.
“Between filming, kids, family and flips I feel like we are always on the go!! The good thing is.. My incredible wife, @heatherraeyoung, is just as smart and driven as she is beautiful and kind:) I got really lucky, she's honestly the perfect match for me,” El Moussa wrote of his Selling Sunset spouse with a heart emoji.
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Tarek’s New Lease on Life
El Moussa also expressed gratitude just a day prior and shared to followers how he stays so positive.
“Always celebrate the little things in life,” he began with a champagne glass emoji. “I try to remind myself daily that what you focus on expands… so instead of focusing on negativity or challenges, focus on finding solutions, living in the moment, and being grateful for everything you have.”
It’s important for all of us to constantly be thankful for what we have, especially when facing conflict or illness. We have to remind ourselves that life can (sadly) always be worse. El Moussa may appear to “have it all,” as a successful TV star with a family and lucky in love, but it was vastly different for him when he was sick and then went through a painful, public divorce with ex-wife and former co-host Christina Haack, 38.
He is finally seeing the light and holding on to it as hard as he can.
Tarek's Cancer Battles
In 2013, four years after he married Christina, Tarek El Moussa was diagnosed with thyroid cancer.
His thyroid cancer diagnosis came after an HGTV fan, who also happened to be a nurse, noticed a lump on El Moussa's throat while watching him on television. She contacted the network, telling them what she had seen.
In the same year, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer.
During a 2017 interview with People magazine, El Moussa said of the experience: "I was at one building doing my thyroid stuff, and mentioned I was going across the street to get an ultrasound done. I'll never forget the doctor joking, 'I hope you don't have cancer!'"
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The treatment path for both types of cancers depends upon the stage at which the cancer is diagnosed. Common treatments for testicular cancer include chemotherapy, surgery and radiation. Treatments for thyroid cancer can include surgery, hormone therapy, radioactive iodine, radiation and, in some cases, chemotherapy.
Luckily, El Moussa was given the “all clear” and now shares his story to raise awareness on both diseases, while radiating positivity to those in need.
Support from a Partner Goes a Long Way
Your partner can often times make or break your day-to-day life, especially when you’re going through something as serious as cancer, which is an understatement.
“When you get cancer, it's a really great way to tell if your partner is the love of your life, or a sh**head,” says writer and actress Jill Kargman, who sat down with SurvivorNet to talk life after cancer. “I think if you're with someone who is not supportive, or kind of emotionally checked out, or doesn't tell you you're still beautiful … this might not be your person."
If there are already issues in the relationship, cancer definitely has a way to magnify them! Conversely, cancer can sometimes help partners grow stronger together.
Even though El Moussa was not married to Young while he went through his battles, the after effects from the experience, as many survivors know, can still be challenging, and support is still crucial as you continue to navigate your “new normal.” Plus, cancer survivors tend to not put up with people or things as easily as they did before because they realizemore than othersthat life is short. So let’s all seize the day today!
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