October Begins Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Celebrities Who Made Headlines This Year Bring Awareness to the Disease

Along with the changing of the seasons and bright fall foliage, October also brings National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This year, we have seen many celebrities facing breast cancer that made their stories public in an effort to bring awareness to this disease. In honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, below I will detail some celebrities who made headlines and put a face to this disease.

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Christina Applegate's struggle

As I wrote in August, Christina Applegate, recognizable by Gen Xers as the ditzy Kelly Bundy from Married With Children fell victim at a relatively early age at just 36. Christina Applegate opted for a double mastectomy after breast cancer was found. A family history of the disease tied in with her testing positive for the BRCA1 gene led Christina Applegate to her double mastectomy decision. Christina Applegate is now cancer free, but will undergo a long reconstruction process.

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Cynthia Nixon's confession

Though diagnosed in 2006, Sex and the City's Cynthia Nixon went public with her breast cancer battle in April. According to the NY Daily News, Cynthia Nixon kept her battle private, even going to the extreme length of scheduling her surgery to occur on a Sunday. At the time, she was starring in an off-Broadway show and did not want to miss a performance. In Ms. Nixon's case, she had a lumpectomy followed by six and a half weeks of chemotherapy.

National Breast Cancer Awareness Month: Dorothy Hamill seeks treatment in January

Olympic figure skater, Dorothy Hamill, made headlines in early January when she took time off from her "Broadway on Ice" performance schedule to seek treatment for breast cancer. Fox News reported that Dorothy Hamill, known for her trademark hair style and winning Gold in the 1976 Olympics, was facing a the dreaded diagnosis and would be suspending her tour temporarily while she sought treatment at Johns Hopkins. Fox also reported that the prognosis was favorable for the 51-year-old Olympian.

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