Last month, Rita Wilson went public with her breast cancer diagnosis and decision to have a double mastectomy. Rita wrote a moving essay for People Magazine describing her difficult choice, and explaining that she only learned of her breast cancer after seeking a second opinion. Rita’s first doctor gave her the all clear and she only decided to consult another doctor after a friend, a breast cancer survivor, encouraged her. After all she went though, Rita wanted to get the word out about the need to take charge of your health care.

Rita has a new profile in The NY Times, following her return to Broadway in “Fish in the Dark” with Larry David. it’s a sobering look at what she’s gone through. It sounds like she’s recovering well and that she has a lot of support around her (particularly her husband of 27 years, Tom Hanks, whom she gushes about). However, it sounds grueling and tiring too. Apparently there’s an interim step between getting a mastectomy and have reconstructive surgery. I’ve never heard about this – it’s called a tissue expander and helps make room for the implants. Rita is in this stage and while it sounds very uncomfortable for her, she’s hopeful for the future. Here’s more:

Why she went public
She was ambivalent about this too. Among other things, talking openly about mastectomy seems to invite everyone to stare at and speculate about one’s postoperative breasts, and who wants that? (“But I guess people always look at women’s breasts anyway,” she said.)

“For me, this is about telling people, ‘You can get a second opinion — your insurance will pay for it, even Obamacare, God bless it, will pay for it,’ ” she said. “It’s so easy to say, ‘I’m just being paranoid,’ but you should trust your gut.”

She said she had been astounded and touched by the warmth of people’s response. In her Manhattan apartment building, neighbors she had barely met sent up little gifts — cookies, flowers, body cream. All four of her and Mr. Hanks’s children came to visit.

How her husband supported her
And before and after the surgery, the couple hunkered down at home, laughing, crying and watching movies. Luckily, they had a pile of Academy Award screeners in enticing DVD cases, begging to be viewed.

Neither she nor Mr. Hanks had ever been seriously ill before, so it was new territory. “Who knew it would make you even closer?” she said.

“You never know how your spouse is going to react in a situation like this,” she added. “I was so amazed, so blown away by the care my husband gave me. It was such a normal, intimate time…”

How she’s doing now
Though the cancer was detected early and she did not need chemotherapy or radiation, Ms. Wilson still feels exhausted. Her body is not what it was. Although Hollywood is practically ground zero for women with breast implants, Ms. Wilson had never gone that route.

“Let’s face it — it’s an amputation,” she said, of the mastectomy. And for people who do not know this, there is an interim step between a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery, in which a device called a tissue expander is inserted into your chest to make room gradually for new breasts.

Right now, the expander feels hard and weird and looks nothing like what breasts should look like, Ms. Wilson said. She can’t wear a proper bra. For the time being, she is sticking to loose tops and layers.

But she is hardly at the muu-muu stage of life. When she does have the reconstruction, Ms. Wilson said, “I think it’s going to look awesome.”

[From The NY Times]

Kudos to Rita for both going public with the news of her cancer and being open about how difficult it is. She also admitted that she’s not always comfortable with public attention but that she wanted to get the word out. Rita said “I’m in public because of the nature of what I do, but I don’t feel it necessary to let the world know what I’m thinking, where I’m eating. I’ve always liked being on the periphery of things.” I loved how she joked about the speculation as to whether she’s had implants yet. “People always look at women’s breasts anyway.” She sounds so grateful for the help and support she’s been given by her husband and by the people around her. The public is definitely on her side too, and we’re hoping she’s fully recovered soon.

Photo credit: WENN.com