I Battled Breast Cancer

October 8, 2009

Maura Tierney, 44

She dropped out of the upcoming NBC series Parenthood after revealing she was undergoing surgery for removal of a breast tumor. “I’m very optimistic,” she recently said.

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Edie Falco, 46

In 2003, a year after finding a lump in her breast – and undergoing a mammogram that showed nothing -- she learned she had the disease. Falco's life now "involves taking a trip to Sloan-Kettering hospital every six months to make sure I'm okay."

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Melissa Etheridge, 48

After finding a lump in her breast during a self-examination, she was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer in 2004. Now cancer free, she has gone on to become a national spokeswoman for breast cancer.

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Cynthia Nixon, 43

After a routine mammogram in 2006, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She is now cancer free. Urging more women to get tested, she has said, "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

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Christina Applegate, 37

She underwent a double mastectomy in 2007, as well as reconstructive breast surgery. "It's very important that we stop it," she recently told Us of the disease. "Enough is enough."

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Sheryl Crow, 47

Diagnosed in 2006 after a routine mammogram, the singer underwent a lumpectomy and seven weeks of radiation before being declared cancer-free. "I am a walking advertisement for early detection," she has said.

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Kylie Minogue, 41

She was diagnosed in 2005. After undergoing surgery in her birthplace of Melbourne, Australia, she said, "My body is not what it used to be. But it is the body I am in."

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Elizabeth Edwards, 60

Her breast cancer was believed to be in remission, but in 2007 she had a recurrence and was told the cancer was incurable.

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Jaclyn Smith, 64

The Charlie's Angels star discovered she had cancer in 2002 and immediately underwent a successful lumpectomy and radiation therapy.

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Olivia Newton John, 61

Seventeen years after her diagnosis, she is cancer free. "Each morning, I wake up and I am grateful to be on this planet another day," she has said.

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Robin Roberts, 48

In 2007, the Good Morning America cohost underwent successful surgery to treat her breast cancer. "I can't stress enough how important it is to get screened and checked for all cancers — and to do self breast exams," she has said.

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Anastacia, 35

A routine mammogram in 2003 indicated she had early stage breast cancer. After a lumpectomy and reconstruction of her left breast, she is now cancer free.

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Suzanne Somers, 63

She announced she was battling the disease on CNN's Larry King Live in 2001. She has a lumpectomy, followed by radiation therapy. But she skipped chemotherapy in favor of alternative treatment. She is now cancer free.

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Carly Simon, 64

The "You're So Vain" singer underwent a successful mastectomy and reconstructive surgery after her diagnosis in 1997.

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Rue McClanahan, 75

A vegetarian her entire life, she says the disease "wasn't supposed to have been in the cards for me." But in her 60s, she discovered a pea-size lump in her breast. Now cancer free, she volunteers with the Breast Cancer Resource Center.

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Dorothy Hamill, 53

In 2008, the Olympic ice-skating champ underwent successful surgery. She has said she wants "cancer survivors to know that they are not alone in their journey."