Fran Drescher uses her platform to educate others about the benefits of healthy living. (Photo by Momodu Mansaray/Getty Images)
Fran Drescher knows the benefits of a healthy life.
Since being diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2000 at the age of 44, the actress has used her platform to create real change in medical settings and educate other women about how prevention can literally be a lifesaver.
“I’ve had this cancer for at least two years,” the 65-year-old Nanny star said in an interview with Verywell Health. “By the grace of God there was a greater plan for me and my cancer slowly grew.”
Drescher’s cancer was still in Stage I at the time of its discovery. While uterine cancer is the most common gynecologic cancer in women, according to the American Cancer Society, women in their late 60s are most likely to be diagnosed. Because of this, Drescher said, despite her persistence, she was given several misdiagnoses at the beginning.
“It is important to take responsibility for your own health. It’s your life and no one is going to care about it like you do. So you have to do what’s right for you and what you’re comfortable with,” she said. “I’m a bit of a control freak. I try a doctor a couple of times and when I feel like it’s not the right thing to do, I find someone else.”
Drescher said she “had seven different second opinions before she was diagnosed with cancer.
Shortly after her diagnosis, Drescher underwent a radical hysterectomy and has been cancer-free ever since. She also founded Cancer Schmancer, a non-profit organization dedicated to cancer education and prevention. She testified before the Senate in 2007 and was instrumental in passing the Gynecologic Cancer Education and Awareness Act (also known as “Johanna’s Law”), which helps fund and promote gynecologic cancer education materials.
Drescher’s years of work in space has also provided lessons about the joys of aging – including how to manage stress.
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“Part of aging well is learning how to manage stress. You can’t stew in it,” she said. “I’ve found that my immune system doesn’t respond well to stress. I have to be mindful and say, ‘I can’t get this stress or I’ll get sick.’ When I feel stressed, I force myself to lie down and relax, or I take a walk in the fresh air and enjoy the trees.”
As you get older, Drescher says, a focus on “optimal health” becomes vital.
“To do that, you have to honor your body and really listen to it. Your body works hard and you have to respect it. You can do that by listening to him,” she explained. “How you live is how you feel. There is no leeway there.”
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