After Battling Cancer Twice, Kathy Bates Is Fighting Lymphedema: "It's A Souvenir You Definitely Don’t Want"

Jan 17, 2019 by apost team

If you don't recognize the name off the top of your head, just know that Kathy Bates' face is one you almost certainly would recognize if you saw it. The 70-year-old actress is a recipient of two Golden Globes, one Emmy Award, and an Academy Award, just one award short - a Tony Award - of netting an EGOT, or the "Quadruple Crown" of acting.

After being faced with a highly-fatal strain of cancer 15 years ago, not to mention another battle with cancer in 2012, Kathy is sick with this painful, scarring disease.

Younger audiences may most easily recognize Kathy Bates as Jo Bennett from The Office, the stubborn, blunt Southern belle who appeared in eight episodes after purchasing Dunder Mifflin in season 6 of the comedy series.

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Other popular roles for Kathleen Doyle Bates include Annie Wilkes in the 1990 motion picture Annie, Harry Korn on Harry's Law, and the real-life historical figure of Delphine LaLaurie in American Horror Story.

Bates, born in Memphis, Tennessee, is also known for her 1983 performance in the play 'night, Mother. She was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Lead Access in a Play, the only Tony she'd be nominated for.

In 2003, Bates came out to the world as recently being diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Exclusive to women, the strain of cancer has a 92-percent five-year survival rate according to the American Cancer Society. Unfortunately, this statistic only applies to patients whose doctors spotted their manifestations of ovarian cancer before it spread out of the ovary.

Altogether, Kathy had roughly a one-in-two shot of making it. The following year, the esteemed actress beat the disease.

In September 2012, Bates shared via Twitter that she had gone ill with breast cancer that July. Almost immediately after learning that she had unknowingly entered her second fight with cancer, she opted for a double mastectomy.

Just one year later, Kathy Bates was happy to say that she was no longer dealing with breast cancer. However, she was diagnosed with lymphedema of the arms in 2014. Although lymphedema isn't a type of cancer, thankfully, the condition still faces patients with potentially life-changing issues.

Bates considers herself fortunate to have beaten cancer twice. However, she effectively welcomed lymphedema after having surgery for breast cancer.

Lymphedema sometimes has genetic roots, called primary lymphedema, though its secondary counterpart is seen far more frequently. Secondary lymphedema is caused by damage done to the body's lymphatic system.

The lymphatic system flushes specialized lymph fluid all throughout the body to gather waste, bad bacteria, and potentially-deadly viruses. Used lymph fluid is then carried away from the body via lymphocytes. Lymphedema, the painful condition that the wonderful, innocent Kathy Bates is plagued with, rears its ugly head when the body's lymphatic system fails to drain lymph fluid as fast as it should.

Pain, swelling, loss of range of motion, constant infections, and fibrosis are all common symptoms of lymphedema. Even though Kathy can afford some of the best physicians on planet Earth, they can't do much for the condition. Bates regularly experiences pain from lymphedema, though she gladly takes the recurring pain and other issues that come hand-in-hand with lymphedema as opposed to dual diagnoses of cancer.

Kathy was first diagnosed with cancer in 2003. At the time, she was working on the movie Little Black Book. Although many public figures share publicly that they've been diagnosed with cancer to seek support and generate awareness, Bates chose not to share her issues with the world.

In retrospect, she shared that she "didn't want anyone to know, but it really took a lot out of [her]." Kathy maintained this same attitude after her July 2012 diagnosis of breast cancer.

Stand Up to Cancer is a program headed by panels of Hollywood's most well-known actors, actresses, directors, and other entertainment figures that seeks to raise millions of dollars for cancer research. The program, commonly shortened to SU2C, also serves the role of generating awareness for various forms of cancer.

This September, Kathy Bates, Jennifer Garner, Matthew McConaughey, and Reese Witherspoon will join forces to raise money through the Stand Up to Cancer telethon.

To this day, Kathy Bates continues to act in television shows and movies, not to mention make public appearances. She once remarked that "acting is [her] life force," further stating that she's "having too much fun" playing as many rewarding, meaningful roles as she possibly can.

If you'd like to see her on her beautiful journey, here's a video showing the life of the beautiful and inspiring Kathy Bates!

Cancer is one of humanity's worst enemies. Fortunately, the disease wasn't able to take talented actress Kathy Bates from the world of entertainment. Have you or a loved one ever beat cancer? What was it like?