Tony- and Emmy-winning actress and singer, Kristin Chenoweth, is raising spirits during the coronavirus outbreak. “I’m looking for ways to make people laugh,” she said in an interview with Survivornet.
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Read More“Not only are they most at risk with a compromised immune system. But now, they're like really? I have to deal with cancer and a pandemic, too?”
Cancer in The Family
Cancer hits close to home for Chenoweth. “My mom had breast cancer and a mastectomy. Then she got melanoma on her nose and had to have the flap surgery done, where they connect the skin from the forehead.
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My aunt, Gay, had it. And my aunt Rosalyn died of breast cancer six years ago.,” she says, adding, “Cancer is the pink elephant in the room.”
Kristin Chenoweth (@KChenoweth) March 13, 2020
“I’ve seen that fighting spirit in all the ladies in my own life. Instead of saying ‘why?’ Or ‘Why me?’ I hear people with cancer saying 'I'm going to get you!’ Even now, I use that spirit to confront my own challenges.”
Caitlin Kiernan says, when reflecting on her experience with breast cancer. There's nothing like injecting a little humor into a dark situation to make it brighter.
"I'm not a scientist,” she says, “but they say that laughter helps boost the immune system, so I say we all go back and watch reruns of the Carol Burnett show.”
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She also draws inspiration from country singer, Reba McEntire, a friend: “We’re both from Oklahoma, so we have a lot in common,” Chenoweth explains. “Recently shegave me a piece of artwork with my favorite quote: ‘She thought she could, so she did.’ I think every cancer patient should have that quote hanging on their wall.”
“Doing The Corona-Dance”
Now she’s working to limit the spread of the virus. “I’m listening to our health leaders: Dr. [Anthony] Fauci, the CDC, the World Health Organization. I'm not going where I'm not needed. I stay home. I have so many books I want to read, write, sing, meditate,” she says, adding, “I think about my Broadway friends. If you’re getting a ticket refund for a canceled show, consider donating that money to the theatre community — if you’re in a position to do that. Like so many, they’ve all lost their jobs.”
Of her coronavirus-cleaning routines she says, “I've been doing the corona-dance for ages. Whenever I get on a plane, I've always sprayed down my seat and tray-table with disinfectant.
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People have teased me about this forever.”
#OutOfOz: “For Good” Performed by Kristin Chenoweth and Idina Menzel | W… https://t.co/zD0NvsB1RL via @YouTube
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ice princess (@MusicAndEu) March 23, 2020
Chenoweth frequently donates her talent to cancer organizations like Susan G. Komen. “They’ve been to the barbeque, the picnic, and the rodeo; they’re doing the research and leading the fight.”
At a benefit in Dallas, “one of the most beautiful gala luncheons I've ever seen, I met an 18-year-old girl who’d just been diagnosed with breast cancer. I was so moved by her determination.” But as much as she supports the cause, Chenoweth hopes that “one day, we won’t need [cancer] galas or benefits — we’ll have a cure and we won’t need them anymore.”
“And when this is over, the first thing I’m going to do is go to a Broadway play.”
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