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)

Friday 10 September

By Susan

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In my opinion as a 14 year breast cancer survivor, one of the best approaches to figure out what your "stamp" will be is to talk about it, draw people out & let people in. Right now I'm not sure where you are in your treatment & you deserve privacy, but when you are ready, try to be open so because as an actress you are easily a roll model. That might be hard for you for even a couple of more years. I can still remember begging for my life to God, first it was please let me live 2 years, then 5 and then finally 10. Also remember you are your own best advocate. Good luck, Sistah

By Tom

She is a an absolutely beautiful woman. THank God she is OK. Good Luck Maura.

By Sofi

We may not have a Cedars Sinai in NYC, but we do have a Mount Sinai.

By Paula

She isn't lucky. She has been blessed. There is not such thing as luck.

Saturday 11 September

By wdd

We have Mount Sinai Hospital in NY. 95th Street between Madison and Lexington Avenue.
My friend had several fibroids in the uterus, and she needed an operation, but she did not have any Insurance, regardless of that they admitted her through the Clinic. She was very ill, and anemic, and she almost die. She was there for one month, and the attention from all the stuff was very nice. My friend is very grateful with the Doctors,because they saved her life.

Mount Sinai Hospital is one of he best Hospitals in NYC

By Mystical Knight

Priorities. Do you drive a car or use public transportation? Do smoke or drink? Do you eat out? Do you have health insurance?
Priorities!

By ddnewyork1964

We all have a time to leave this life, and is was not the time for Maura. God Bless her.

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