Billy Baldwin has posted a heartwarming tribute on his cancer page to mom Carol, a breast cancer survivor, as she celebrates a milestone — her 90th birthday. Five of her six children were on hand to help her blow out the candles. “Let's just say that when she was in her 50's… for A LOT of reasons we weren't so sure this day was gonna come!!” Baldwin writes. The family gathering included brothers Alec, Billy and Daniel, and sisters Elizabeth and Jane.
View this post on InstagramRead More Last year, Baldwin and his own family were sent reeling when Vance Baldwin, Billy’s son with his wife, Chynna Phillips, was diagnosed with cancer at age 16. While the family kept Vance’s diagnosis quiet, and it’s unknown what kind of cancer he had, dad Billy reposted a photo that Vance put on Instagram a year after the diagnosis, in which he said he was cancer-free.Billy, on his Instagram account, noted that his son “kept it very quiet… we all did. He went through 28 rounds of chemo yet stayed VERY positive, focused and kept his life as normal as possible … every single day. Kid's a tough son of a bitch. Sharp as a tack. Funny as hell. Tough as nails. Heart of gold."
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The Baldwins have dealt with several cancer journeys, including that of family patriarch Alexander Baldwin, who died of lung cancer at age 55.
This year, on the thirty-sixth anniversary of his death, Alec Baldwin posted on Instagram: “My father was a uniquely caring, dedicated, stern, smart and, at times, funny man who served as a public school teacher and coach for 28 years until his death at 55.”
Carol Baldwin’s Cancer Journey
Carol Baldwin’s own journey started in 1990, seven years after her husband died. She was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a life-saving double-mastectomy, according to the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Care Center.
In his mom’s Instagram birthday post, Billy wrote that the “coolest thing of all was that, after surviving breast cancer in the early 90's, she formed the Carol Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund. It does an incredible job to raise awareness, provide quality of life support for those in treatment, and funds critical research that will ultimately help find a cure for this dreaded disease. They have raised millions for Stony Brook University and Upstate Medical in Syracuse.”
The center, at Stony Brook University, was founded in 1996 to provide accessible screening, medical care, and support services regardless of patients’ ability to pay. The same year, Carol, along with family, friends and health professionals, also formed The Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund, Inc. To date, it has provided funding for 47 research grants totaling $2.35 million dollars, with the promise of more to come, according to the website.
When Cancer Runs in the Family
For families with hereditary cancers, such as breast cancer, some experts suggest people discuss such things as early screening with their doctors.
SurvivorNet spoke with Mary Ellen Armstrong and her son, Nate Armstrong about hereditary cancer. When Mary Ellen Armstrong’s siblings started to get cancer at young ages, she became curious about her own health. And that curiosity saved her life and the lives of her children.
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