Maura Tierney Opens Up About Her Battle Against Breast Cancer

By PopEater Staff Posted Sep 9th 2010 06:50PM

Actress Maura Tierney graces the cover of this week's Parade Magazine--and in the accompanying story, she talks about finding a lump in her breast, her diagnosis of breast cancer, and how life has changed since she found out.

Even though Tierney played a surgeon on TV for many years, she didn't like going to the doctor in real life. "I was so, so scared of going to the doctor. I felt something, and my boyfriend at the time made me go. He said, 'You've got to take care of this,' because I was afraid. That's one thing I will say: Don't be afraid to go to the damn doctor. Just go!" she said.

More excerpts from the interview after the jump.

On feeling "lucky":
"I was so lucky. I had insurance, I found a great team of doctors at UCLA, and I could afford not to work while I was getting treated. From the beginning my doctor told me, 'You're going to be okay,' and I chose to believe him. So there was always that in my head."

On finding out she had a more aggressive type of cancer:
"It turned out to be a more aggressive kind of cancer than they thought," she explains. Only a decade earlier, her doctor told her, pathologists wouldn't have been able to tell the difference. "He said they would have patted me on the head and told me, 'You're cured,' and I would have died of breast cancer."

Her feelings on the whole experience are still forming:
"I've been misquoted a lot, and there's this tendency for people to put on to you how they think you should be or what they think you should feel. The truth is, I had my surgery, and I have two more months on this one drug. I haven't figured out where I want to focus my energies to help others, and I don't know what kind of wisdom to drop on anybody yet--except for, you know, they can help people now. I feel an immense sense of gratitude, but sometimes I think there should be room for more gratitude [in me], because I can still be bitchy in the morning..."

Tierney returns to the small screen in ABC's legal drama, 'The Whole Truth,' this fall.

Tags: maura tierney

Comments

(47)

Thursday 09 September

By michelle

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Very honest and brave. She's lucky, indeed. :)

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By Nico Toscani

I'm glad she's recovering and hope she stays healthy. I've liked her ever since Talk Radio.

Friday 10 September

By kevin

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I totally agree with you, but the series was called "Newsradio".

By dbrockskk

So what do you do if you have no money or health insurance??

By Linda

To answer you question about not having any money or insurance it is sad to say that people without means of anykind will not get the care she got. I am fighting myself with colon issues and I have no means nor do I have insurance. I have to rely on the grace of God. That the only hope I have.

By nummified

You go to the Dr and they will refer you to the agencies that will take care of the medical expenses. My best friend, 52 yr old, was diagnosed with stage 4 brest cancer .. a very aggresive one, and 3 different state agencies and medicare all paid for everything .. she got great Drs at a really good hospital and is getting reconstructive surgery too. She survived and just 5 yrs ago it would have been a death sentence for her. There is a lot of hope and support out there .. you just have to hunt and ask for it.
Bless you !

By Avice

We had excellent insurance when my husband was ill. But every day when I visited him in the hospital (a really excellent, teaching one), I saw people that I was sure had no insurance and that was why his bills were so high.

By Sharon

this is to brock, you go to the Dr's & tell them you have no insurance, they will help you, believe me they will help you

To Sharon I don't mean to sound argumentive in anyway,but I have been told by doctors and a hospital that I needed special care and I wasn't going to find it in just a county hospital because they just don't have doctors there to treat my illness. I need a doctor that uses hospitals such as UCLA or Cedars. There isn't a doctor that would care for me anywhere and trust me I have inquired. They want money or insurance because the tests they need to do with me are so expensive that they just won't do it unless I pay for it. So if there is no money there is not going to be tests or care.

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What are you smoking Sharon? No money and no insurance means NO CARE. There might be a handful of doctors on this country that are willing to waive their fees; but it still wouldn't cover tests, meds, etc. Unless you are a foreign kid with a cleft palate who is deemed "worthy" of charity of course.

By robin

if you have no insurance.... sure the docs will help you and take everything you own to pay them. or, they will do the bare minimum at that and send you on your merry way and wish you good luck.

By npkr

Evil doctors- they actually want to get paid for the work they do! Not like many of the rest of you on this site- I'm sure all of you waive your fees or tell your boss you'll work off the clock. Hell, the bank won't make you pay your mortgage that month for being so generous.

By Cricket

Her name is Maura.

By rogerwatersfan

Wasn't she on ER for a while? She is hot I like her.

Saturday 11 September

By Peggy

Does anyone know how I can get in contact with Maura Tierney?

Linda,
I know personally someone who was on medicaid in Upstate, NY, who was referred by a Dr upstate to go to Cedar Sinai in NYC. I had at the time B/C-B/S and I know for a fact that my insurance would not have covered that hospital. She on the other hand received very good care & thankfully she is alive & well today

By Deborah

Sharon, Medicaid IS insurance. Your friend got good health care because of it. Linda means No insurance, period. There are tons of people in this incredible country who cannot afford insurance at all, and DO NOT qualify for Medicaid. They will not get the health care they need, in their time of need.

By Jo

Everyone is going through tough times right now with the economy and all and yeah A lot of people don't have medical insurance. So, What are we suppose to do if we can't get medicaid?

By Pat

Only certain doctors take medicaid and getting fewer and fewer each year.

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