Julia Louis-Dreyfus opens up about how public reaction affected her battle with cancer

When Julia Louis-Dreyfus was told she had breast cancer, she tackled it with positive determination and publicly campaigned for the plight others going through the same.

In late September 2017 Julia received her breast cancer prognosis and broke the news publicly on Twitter:

“One in eight women get breast cancer. Today, I’m the one.”

56-year-old Julia started her first round of chemotherapy in October 2017 and began her last round in January 2018. During her battle with cancer she said:

“The good news is that I have the most glorious group of supportive and caring family and friends, and fantastic insurance through my union. The bad news is that not all women are so lucky. So let’s fight all cancers and make universal healthcare a reality.”

Read more on our Twitter account @amomama_usa.

Now officially in remission Julia looks back on her decision to openly share her medical treatment with her fans and shared her thoughts during the Saks Fifth Avenue’s 20th Anniversary of Key To The Cure initiative to fight cancer by commenting:

“Originally, I’ll be honest with you, I normally wouldn’t share such a private thing publicly, however, I knew it would get out there because I knew we had to shut down production on Veep for a number of months in order to accommodate my situation.”

She continued:

“So then I thought, ‘Well, I’m just going to embrace this and attack it and try to do it with a sense of humor. I was really pleased with the reaction.”

While publicly sharing her journey and fight against cancer her positive ‘kick cancer in the butt’ approach had an inspiring effect on other woman going through the same.

Julia returned to the shooting of Veep’s final season and is savoring every moment, but she wants to give more and have also taken on charitable endeavors, including working with Saks Fifth Avenue as their Key To The Cure ambassador.

Sales of a newly designed shirt for Saks stores go towards the AiRS Foundation, a nonprofit that helps the woman with the cost of breast reconstruction after a mastectomy and said:

“That seemed like a really good charity that could use some help. The idea of somebody not being able to get breast reconstruction if they want -- it and plenty of women choose not to do it but if they want it -- is unconscionable.”

Other celebrities are also stepping up, helping to create awareness using their influence to make a difference in different ways. Recently Simon Cowell appealed to the public by sharing a video on social media about the plight of a young boy, Zac Oliver, suffering from a rare form of leukemia named Near Haploid.

The NHS is currently unable to treat his illness and needs to go for treatment in the United States. In the video about Zac he said:

“This boy is four years old and needs money to get him to America to get the help he needs. So I want you please to go on Zac Oliver’s JustGiving page and whatever you can donate will make a difference.”

However, Simon set an example by donating over $65,000 towards his cause ahead of the fundraising event Zacfest, in the hopes that his family would get the funds they needed sooner rather than later.

With celebrities and sports stars alike publicly sharing their experiences with cancer it brings about more awareness and comfort to those that share their battle.

When Olympic cross-country skier, Kikkan Randall announced her own diagnosis of breast cancer on social media on Mother’s Day this year she received copious amounts of support from family, friends, and fans.

Like Julia Louis-Dreyfus, her positive attitude inspires many, thankfully her cancer got caught early and led to a positive prognosis. Kikkan documents her experiences periodically on her blog and will receive six rounds of chemotherapy in total.

Their experiences with cancer show the value of support and positive determination and have helped countless woman and men alike with their own personal struggles with the disease.