Kathy Bates says she is grateful to be alive after battling ovarian cancer twice.
The 71-year-old actress successfully fought ovarian cancer in 2003. However, nine years later, she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She said she know how lucky she is to survives cancer twice.
On Monday, Bates told Us Weekly, “It’s really good, so I’m grateful. I mean, you never know when the shoe is going to drop again, but I’m just totally enjoying being lucky and alive and enjoying life and working.”
Three years ago, the American Horror Story actress revealed that she had lost some of her family members to breast cancer, which is why she underwent double mastectomy shortly after getting diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012.
At that time, Bates told on The Dr. Oz Show, “Breast cancer runs like a river through my family. It was strange. Ovarian wasn’t so bad for some reason, but breasts were worse. It was very emotional and I really felt like my life was over.”
In 2012, she tweeted, “Hey all, sorry for the long silence. I was diagnosed with breast cancer 2 months ago & am recovering from a double mastectomy. … I don’t miss my breasts as much as I miss [US TV show] Harry’s Law. 😉 Thanks for all the sweet tweets. Y’all kept me going.”
She successfully underwent the operation and her doctors told that she would not need further chemo or radiotherapy and had many years to live. The Misery actress was also diagnosed with lymphedema in 2015. Lymphedema is a condition characterized by a blockage in the lymphatic system, immune system and circulatory system, which is often a result of damaged lymph nodes caused by cancer treatments.
