When surviving cancer isn't the end of the fight

Behind every pink ribbon this October, millions are struggling with a disease that rarely makes headlines

- KATHY BATES GUEST CONTRIBUTOR

ROBIN L. MARSHALL Getty Images KATHY BATES attends an Oscar de la Renta fashion show at the Beverly Wilshire in May.

WHEN YOU hear the words “you have cancer,” your world tilts on its axis. I know because I've heard them twice. I am grateful to be a breast and ovarian cancer survivor, but surviving cancer did not mean my fight was over.

In the aftermath of my treatments, I developed a chronic and often misunderstood disease that I will live with for the rest of my life.

I was no stranger to lymphedema. My mother had suffered from it, as had a close friend, so I knew the toll it could take. Before my own surgery, I warned my doctor not to remove any lymph nodes that weren’t absolutely necessary. But despite those warnings, I still developed lymphedema.

That’s why I am encouraging every patient to have candid conversations with their doctors before, during and after treatment. The truth is, there are a few key things every cancer patient needs to know.

Today, more than 10 million Americans live with this disease. That's more people than those living with multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, ALS, Parkinson's disease and AIDS combined. For breast cancer patients, the risk is especially high. Up to one in five will develop lymphedema after surgery or radiation. Behind every pink ribbon this October, there are millions silently struggling with swelling, pain, and disability that rarely make the headlines.