Celebrities with Breast Cancer

Celebrities with breast cancer have said that even they were scared to get a mammogram . Even they were worried about the results,and what would happen if it came back positive. Lots of women have survived breast cancer. Many of them were even celebrities with breast cancer.

What this really means is that breast cancer affects everyone. Rich or poor, famous or not, it doesn't matter. What does matter is how you deal with it.

If you have family members that are breast cancer survivors, they can tell you what it was like. They can say where they were when they got the news, and what went through their minds.

A lot of people don't have that close friend or family's experience to draw on. They turn to celebrities who have gone through what they've gone through. What follows are some famous people you can take to heart and learn from.

Famous breast cancer survivors

Betty Ford-Former First Lady

Betty Ford was the wife of former President Gerald Ford. She was one of the most famous breast cancer survivors of the 1970s. Ford had a double mastectomy after a breast exam showed some cancerous lumps. She later wrote a book about the experience.

Betty Ford became a crusader for bringing mammography into more health clinics and to reduce its cost. The former first lady got a mammogram because of her husband's political position and it saved her life, and she felt that benefit needed to reach more people. During the 1980s, she was a regular speaker on mammograms and access to them across the country.

Sheryl Crow-Rock Musician and Lyricist

Lets not forget 44-year-old singer and songwriter Sheryl Crow.Breast cancer also attacked her. She was dating Lance Armstrong (another cancer survivor) at the time. Her engagement to Armstrong broke around the same time her diagnosis came through.

Crow said that there were other reasons they separated, and that she is a living, breathing testament to getting early and regular cancer screenings. Sheryl Crow's breast cancer diagnosis came from finding two small lumps in her breasts. She had them removed immediately. She was able to undergo radiation therapy and skipped chemotherapy entirely. She has been cancer free for three years now.

The Women from Charlie's Angels (Jaclyn Smith, Kate Jackson, Farrah Fawcett)

One of the iconic television series of the 1970s was Charlie's Angels. It brought beautiful women into strong, action-driven roles where they would outsmart and out fight their opponents. Their fates intertwined later when two of them (Smith and Jackson) survived breast cancer. Fawcett had anal cancer, and lost her battle with the disease in 2009.

Ann Jillian-Sitcom Star

Ann Jillian was a blond bombshell. Ann earned television sex symbol status with her own programs. At 35, she became another celebrity with breast cancer. She soon underwent a double mastectomy and changed her career. She focussed on becoming an advocate for more breast cancer research. Ann hosted fund raisers for the American Cancer Society, and went with Bob Hope on tours around the world. There, she would openly talk about her experiences with American servicemen and women around the world.

Kylie Minogue-Pop Star

"...breast cancer affects everyone. Rich or poor, famous or not, it doesn't matter. What does matter is how you deal with it."

This Australian diva is best known for putting "The Locomotion" back on the charts. However, she almost missed her diagnosis for breast cancer. The initial screening didn't reveal anything, but she was suspicious about tenderness in her left breast. Later, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.

She underwent a partial mastectomy and breast reconstruction. Since that, she has become an advocate for women being more proactive in getting second opinions. Kylie encouraged women to trust their gut more, rather than passively accept a diagnosis (or lack of one) from anyone wearing a white lab coat.

Christina Applegate-Actress, Activist

Christina Applegate was propelled to stardom as ditzy teen blonde Kelly Bundy in Married With Children. Her career had its ups (an Emmy award) and downs (the less said about her own sitcoms, the better). Her career derailed entirely when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She's fund raising medical care access for women who could not otherwise afford a full gamut of treatment for this disease.

All of these women have gone through mastectomies, and then received the worst news possible. Their lives did not end from the diagnosis; indeed, many of them have found that cancer survival has given their lives new focus, and a drive to help others overcome it. Take inspiration that breast cancer is survivable.