LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Legendary film and TV actress Kathy Bates turned 75 on Wednesday, June 28. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1948, Bates moved to New York in 1970 to pursue a career in acting. She did several odd jobs and took up minor stage roles while struggling to establish her career in the entertainment industry and finally bagged her first on screen role in a feature film with a minor part in the 1971 Milos Forman comedy ‘Taking Off.’
Over the years, Bates went on to become one of the most acclaimed stars in Hollywood and earned several accolades, including an Academy Award, a Tony Award, two Golden Globe Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards and two Primetime Emmy Awards. While she reached the heights of professional success, Bates’ personal life was plagued with several dangerous medical issues following her cancer diagnosis. However, the ‘Misery’ star bravely overcame these problems and won the battle of life. As the actress and comedian turns 75, here’s a look at how battle cancer twice.
Kathy Bates was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2003
Bates was 55 when she was diagnosed with Stage 1 ovarian cancer in 2003. Doctors reportedly informed the ‘Titanic’ star that she had to undergo immediate surgery. The actress reportedly underwent nine months of chemotherapy after the procedure to fight the condition. She kept the entire ordeal to herself without even telling her friends and fans.
Speaking about her cancer battle, Bates told People, “I didn’t tell anybody. I continued to work right after the operation, doing Little Black Book with Brittany Murphy. My agent at the time was very old-school and didn’t want me to be the poster child for ovarian cancer. I didn’t want anyone to know, but it really took a lot out of me.”
The actress reiterated her situation in a 2012 interview with Anderson Cooper and revealed that her doctors had to get insurance approval for her surgery. “I was advised to [do] so. I was contracted to go into a movie at that time, ‘Little Black Book’ with Brittany Murphy, who I miss very much. My doctors at the time, they had to get insurance approval and all of that so I was very quiet about it and had to go back to work right away,” Bates recalled.
Bates also opened up about the personal reasons that made her keep her diagnosis a secret. “Nobody else really knows what you're going through except another cancer patient. Even though your family's supportive and surrounds you, I just got to the point where I would go to chemo by myself and just really go through it on my own,” she said, adding, “I admire people who have been open, like Melissa Etheridge and women I see walking around facing it without wigs and all of that stuff. I think I'd be more courageous next time.”
Kathy Bates underwent a double mastectomy
After opening about her 2003 cancer diagnosis in 2009, Bates appeared in the ‘Today’ show and told co-hosts Matt Lauer and Meredith Vieira that she was in a total of five-and-a-half years of remission at that point. Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012. She broke the bad news on Twitter, adding that she underwent a double mastectomy.
“Sorry for the long silence. I was diagnosed with breast cancer two months ago and am recovering from a double mastectomy. I don't miss my breasts as much as I miss Harry’s Law,” Bates wrote at the time. She later told People Magazine that “after much consideration” it was decided that she “would not have to undergo radiation and chemo.” “My doctors have assured me I'm going to be around for a long time,” she said, adding that she had decided to have a double mastectomy due to her family’s long history with cancer.
“My aunt had died from it, my mother had it, my niece had it,” she said at the time. Although Bates tested tested negative for the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutation that increases the risk of breast and ovarian cancer, the actress said a negative BRCA result was “not a get out of jail free card.” While she initially considered reconstructive surgery, she later decided against it. “At the last minute I decided I was feeling so good that I didn’t want to go back to surgery, to bed rest, to being on pain medication,” she told Coping Cancer in 2014, adding, “I realized that I already had what I wanted most, which was to be happy, have energy, work, be with friends, and live life.” she added.
Bates reiterated her decision while speaking to WebMD, saying, “I've joined the ranks of women who are going flat, as they say. I don't have breasts, so why do I have to pretend like I do? That stuff isn't important. I'm just grateful to have been born at a time when the research made it possible for me to survive. I feel so incredibly lucky to be alive.”
Kathy Bates’ struggles with lymphedema
While Bates battled cancer twice and was declared cancer-free, she faced another health challenge in the form of lymphedema, a disease caused by the removal of lymph nodes during cancer treatment. She first announced that she has lymphedema in both arms during the 2014 New York Walk for Lymphedema & Lymphatic Diseases.
“It’s a souvenir you definitely don’t want,” Bates told People, adding, “I really felt that life was over for me. I probably wouldn’t work again, and I was angry for a long time." She revealed that the condition caused extreme pain but she eventually learned to manage by wearing arm compression sleeves.
Bates also became a national spokesperson for lymphedema and chairperson for the Lymphatic Education & Research Network's (LE&RN) honorary board. She has since worked towards raising awareness about the condition. In 2018, she led advocates during a Capitol Hill Lobby Day to garner congressional support for more funding to research the disease. That same year, she was awarded the WebMD Health Heroes “Game Changer” Award for her role in raising awareness about chronic lymphatic disease.
