Kathy Bates is one of those remarkable actors who can make you laugh and shiver with fear all in the same breath. This unique talent has garnished her awards over her extensive career in comedies, dramas, and thrillers. But it is her role in real life, as a cancer survivor dealing with lymphedema, where she truly shines without Hollywood accolades but with worldwide admiration.
At 75, Kathy Bates stands as a two-time cancer survivor. After undergoing surgery to remove her uterus, breasts, and lymph nodes, she discovered she had an incurable lymphatic disease. Despite all this, Bates feels “blessed” that she can leverage her celebrity status to help bring awareness to these challenges. Let us delve into the incredible journey Kathy Bates has undertaken for her health!
Hailing from Tennessee, Kathy Bates is a celebrated stage and screen performer. Known for her astonishing performances in films like Misery, Primary Colors, and Richard Jewell, as well as her mesmerizing role in American Horror Story: Coven, she has gathered numerous nominations since her career began back in the 1970s.
In 2003, shortly after surprising audiences with a revealing scene alongside Jack Nicholson in About Schmidt, Bates was hit with the grim news of ovarian cancer. Nine years later, she found herself diagnosed with breast cancer, which led to a double mastectomy.
‘I went berserk’
The future didn’t seem bright health-wise as Bates soon encountered another challenge. “Then I got something called lymphedema,” she mentioned during her 2019 appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show. “I don’t know if you’ve heard of it, but for cancer patients, they often remove lymph nodes… which can lead to swelling if lymph fluid backs up in the body.”
In her fight against cancer, her lymph nodes were removed, which meant the lymphatic fluid accumulated, causing swelling, especially in her arm and hand. But as Bates recalls, the hardest part of her journey wasn’t the cancer itself but coping with lymphedema.
The moment she was diagnosed, Bates described her reaction: “I went berserk. I left the examining room, still with my drains in, clutching a pillow, thinking, ‘What am I doing?’ It was a hot July day, and I was still healing. That fear and uncertainty was overwhelming.”
Her initial reaction was one of bitterness and sadness. “I thought my career was over, everything done,” she admitted. Thankfully, she found hope in a specialist who guided her through this challenging period. The National Health Service (NHS) indicates that although lymphedema is incurable, its symptoms can be managed to prevent fluid build-up.