These 14 female stars are using their battles with cancer to help others overcome the disease too. Read about these inspirational celebrities to see how they’re sharing their stories to help raise cancer awareness.
Olivia Newton-John
Olivia Newton-John successfully fought breast cancer in 1992 and has since used her experience to help raise cancer awareness. She launched the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Centre in Melbourne, Australia and created and sold an Olivia Breast Self-Exam kit.
Fran Drescher
Fran Drescher was diagnosed with uterine cancer in 2000. She underwent surgery and overcame the disease a few years later. She founded the Cancer Schmancer Movement in 2007 to help raise awareness of the disease and to promote women’s healthcare.
Suzanne Somers
Suzanne Somers announced in 2001 that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and was undergoing treatment. Somers beat the cancer through surgery and rounds of chemotherapy and has since been an advocate for alternative methods of cancer treatments. She also frequently promotes cancer awareness and encourages everyone to have routine cancer screenings.
Sharon Osbourne
Sharon Osbourne was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2002 and, after minor surgery and chemotherapy, was given a clean bill of health the following year. She then launched The Sharon Osbourne Colon Cancer Program at Los Angeles’ Cedars-Sinai hospital to help raise cancer awareness, promote screenings, and support cancer patients and their families.
Edie Falco
Edie Falco was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003, but managed to keep it a secret from most of her coworkers. She underwent chemotherapy and her cancer went into remission the following year. Falco says the disease made her reprioritize her life goals, so she adopted a son in 2005 to start the family she always wanted.
Melissa Etheridge
Mellisa Etheridge battled breast cancer in 2005. She underwent a lumpectomy and several rounds of chemotherapy and radiation in order to beat the disease. She performed bald at the 2005 Grammy Awards in hopes that it would help someone undergoing chemotherapy “feel a little better.”
Kylie Minogue
Kyle Minogue underwent treatment for breast cancer in 2005. She had to postpone her tour in order to battle the disease, but she hit the stage again once her cancer went into remission after at 18-month fight.
Hoda Kotb
Hoda Kotb was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006. She underwent a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery and is now cancer-free. Kotb allowed cameras to follow her throughout her treatment in order to help raise cancer awareness and has been sharing her story since then in order to help other women battling cancer.
Cynthia Nixon
Cynthia Nixon was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006. She opened up about her battle with the disease last year, revealing that she had a lumpectomy and radiation, but never underwent chemotherapy. Nixon, whose mother survived three rounds of breast cancer, is now a spokeswoman for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation.
Sheryl Crow
Sherly Crow successfully battled breast cancer in 2006. Crow says the experience made her think, “OK, what is it I want from my life?” She decided to reevaluate her plans and the vision she had established for herself long ago, which included having a family. Crow adopted a baby in 2007.
Christina Applegate
Christina Applegate underwent a double mastectomy in 2008 after discovering cancerous lumps in one of her breasts. The actress credits her mother, who is also a breast cancer survivor, for inspiring her to have the surgery. She’s also planning to establish a charity that will encourage early detection and raise money for patients.
Giuliana Rancic
Giuliana Rancic was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011 and soon after had a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery. Rancic believes a positive attitude, support from her husband, and working got her through the experience and she now speaks out about her battle with cancer to encourage early detection.
Wanda Sykes
Wanda Sykes overcame cancer in 2011. Doctors found cancer in her left breast after she had a breast reduction and she underwent a bilateral mastectomy to make sure the cancer wouldn’t come back. Sykes, injecting humor into everything as a comedian, joked that she didn’t know whether or not she should speak out about her experience because she’s already “black, then lesbian” and “can’t be the poster child for everything.”
Robin Roberts
Robin Roberts overcame breast cancer in 2007, but was diagnosed with a blood disorder that affects the bone marrow, once known as pre-leukemia, in 2012. She underwent a bone marrow transplant to treat it and beat the disease once again. She has been open about her experience and is set to return to work on Good Morning America this month.
