Cancer doesn’t distinguish between who you are and what you earn. It can happen to anyone one, from any walk of life. Here are 10 famous people who were diagnosed with cancer and survived it.
1. Collin Powell
Collin Powell was born in April 1937. He is an American statesman and a four-star general in United States Army, now retired. He served under President Bush as the 65th United States Secretary of State, the first African American to hold this post. During his military career, he held several important positions.
Powell was diagnosed with prostate cancer when he was 66. He had been going for regular checkups for abnormal growth in the prostate gland. His PSA (prostate specific antigen) was irregular,which indicated that something was not quite right.
When Powell was told his diagnosis, he dealt with this challenge as he had been tracking and preparing for it for several years. He decided to opt for prostatectomy (removal of the prostate gland), instead of radiation therapy. He was back in the office 7 days after his surgery, and with support from his family and staff, got back to his routine.
2. Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela was born in July 1918 in South Africa. He is an anti-apartheid revolutionary turned politician. Asthe first elected black President of South Africa, 1994–1999,his government focused on removing racism, poverty, and inequality. He is famously referred to as “father of the nation.”
In 2001, at the age of 83, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Fortunately, his prognosis was good, and he was told that the cancer will in no way affect his life expectancy.
He had to cancel a series of public appearances for his treatment. After undergoing radiation therapy for 7 weeks, he ultimately came out a winner. He resumed his public duties after his treatment and gradually regained his former health.
3. John McCain
John McCain, born in August 1936, is a senior United States senator from Arizona. He was a presidential nominee of the Republican in the 2008 presidential election. Prior to his political career, he was in naval aviation and was captured by Vietnamese, where he was tortured in prison,which resulted in lifelong physical problems. He was elected to U.S.senate for the fourth term in 2010.
In 2000, Jon McCain developed a malignant melanoma for the second time (he had superficial skin melanoma in 1993). The cancer had penetrated the left side of the face and was removed with surgery. Since the surgery in 2000, he had two more surgeries for removal of superficial melanoma from two other places.
Although he has now recovered fully, he gets regular tests done to check for any abnormal activity.
4. Lance Armstrong
Lance Armstrong was born in September 1971 in America. He is a former road racing cyclist. Armstrong won the Tour de France race 7 times consecutively between 1999 and 2005. However, he was banned from entering cycling races for doping offenses in 2012. He established a cancer foundation called live strong Foundation to support cancer patients.
Armstrong was diagnosed with testicular cancer at the age of 25, in 1996. The cancer had spread to his brain, lungs, and abdomen. After the initial shock, he educated himselfabout the diagnosis and treatment of the cancer. During his research, he realized the scarcity of the resources available for people who have to battle against this mammoth disease. To help co-sufferers, he founded the livestrongFoundation.
Till date, the foundation has helped 2.5 million people through its cancer support services.
5. Rod Stewart
Born in January 1945 in the U.K., Rod Stewart is a renowned singer, song writer, and abestselling artist, selling over 100 million records worldwide. He gained attention during the 60s and 70s for his distinctive raspy voice.
In 2000, when he was 55, Rod Stewart was diagnosed with thyroid gland cancer. He got operated under a pseudonym to avoid unwanted publicity. The operation was tricky because the doctors had to cut through the muscles of the throat, which made the muscles lose singing memory. It was with sheer determination that Rod could retrain the muscles and sing again.
6. YuvrajSingh
Yuvraj Singh was born in December 1981 in Chandigarh, India. He is well-known cricketer—a Left hand middle order batsman and a slow left arm bowler. He is part of the Indian national cricket team, Pune warriors India, and Punjab cricket team. He has also worked in two films called Captain India and Jumbo.
Toward the end of 2011, Yuvraj Singh was diagnosed with a tumor between his lungs. It is a rare kind of tumor with an occurance rate of only 1%. He was treated in a hospital in Boston, where the tumor was removed, after which he underwent chemotherapy. After the cancer was successfully treated, Yuvrajlost no time getting back to his career. He has also written a book about his state of mind during and after the cancer diagnosis and treatment.
7. Mario Lemieux
Mario Lemieux was born in Oct 1965 in Montreal, Canada. He is former ice hockey player.
He played with Pittsburg Penguins, and in 1999, he bought the Penguins and their affiliate Scranton Penguins. He is known for his offensive skills, enthusiasm, and leadership qualities, which has put Pittsburg Penguins on the top. At present, he is the chairman of the team and its principal owner.
Mario Lemiex had injured his back during one of his matches. In 1993, while going for a routine checkup for his chronic back problems, he showed a growth on his neck to his doctor. The growth was diagnosed as nodular lymphocytic Hodgkin’s disease. He underwent radiation therapy immediately and was soon declared free of cancer; however, but the disease left him too weak to play again. He founded Mario Lemiex foundation to fund cancer research in 1994, and also established a patient care center at Pittsburg University.
8. Michel Douglas
Michal Douglas was born in New Jersey, America in September 1944. Michel Douglas is a successful movie actor and director, having won many awards for his acting talent as well as a director and producer. His award-winning films as an actor, producer or director include, Romancing the Stone, Fatal Attraction, and Basic instinct, among others.
In 2010, Douglas was diagnosed with throat cancer when he went to Canada to see specialists. The cancer was in stage four, for which heunderwent a rigorous treatment. He was declared safe in 2011.
9. Dustin Hoffman
Dustin Hoffman was born in August 1937 in America. He has won several Academy awards as an actor and director. His most famous films include The Graduate, Midnight Cowboy, Little Big Man, Lenny, All the President’s Men, and Rainman.He made his directorial debut in 2012 with Quartet.
He was diagnosed with unspecified cancer in June 2013, which, according to reports, was detected early and hence was easy to treat. The cancer was removed surgically.
10. Robert de Niro
Robert De Niro was born in August 1943 in America. He is an actor, director, producer, and a restaurant owner. He has won many awards for his brilliant performances infilms such as Godfather II, Mean Streets, Raging Bull, The Deer Hunter, and Goodfellas. He has won two Academy awards and one Golden globe award and has been nominated for several others.
In October 2003, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer. The cancer was detected at an early stage; he had to undergo surgery in the following December to get the cancer removed. Because of his physical fitness, he recovered quickly and with relative ease.
Author Bio: Sameer Gupta is a medical writer who writes well-researched, in-depth cancer articles which provide relevant information to help patients combat the deadly disease. Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) prides in providing the best cancer treatment solutions to patients who have endured to various cancer types.Read more.
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