Do you spring out of bed, ready to start your day, or hit snooze over and over again? That Morning Person is HuffPost’s attempt to make sense of mornings by peering into the routines of others.
(Photo: Isabella Carapella/HuffPost)
Giuliana Rancic knows how frantic your mind can get when your health is in jeopardy.
After getting diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011, Rancic tried to get as informed as possible about the illness. She googled the effects. She read up on treatment plans. She looked into stories of others who were living with the condition. It was a way to find solace in her own life.
But she soon discovered that one person’s experience with breast cancer wouldn’t be similar to her own. Since the disease is so complicated, there are often different types and different approaches to tackling it. That’s why the “E! News” host is now sharing what she learned about the different types of breast cancer through Not One Type, a campaign focused on changing the perceptions around the illness and informing people about its complexities.
“Breast cancer is not just a one-size-fits-all disease. It’s very important for women to know that,” Rancic told HuffPost. “When you first get diagnosed, it’s very easy for women to just go online or ask friends who have been through breast cancer to get advice that suits you. But women are so different, and people who get diagnosed can have treatment plans that are very different from the next person.”
Now in remission, Rancic is hyperaware of how she takes care of herself. Below, Rancic discusses her health, her morning routine and how all of it plays a role in looking after her mind and body.
(Photo: Roy Rochlin via Getty Images)
Are you a morning person or not really?
Yeah! I actually am a morning person. I used to be a night owl but now I love the mornings.
What time do you usually wake up?
Probably around 6:45. I have a little one who is 6, so we start our day pretty early in the Rancic household.
Snooze button: Hit it or quit it?
I don’t even use an alarm! I wake up naturally or my son is the alarm. He’s a good little alarm clock. If I’m traveling or doing something where I’m not with my husband and son, then I use the alarm, but I don’t snooze.
What’s your go-to breakfast?
I love bagels with cream cheese and jelly on it ― whipped cream cheese and blueberry jelly.
Do you prefer coffee or tea?
I have a latte with extra foam. Even though to some people that’s called a cappuccino and I totally know that. [Laughs]
Fill in the blank: My ideal morning consists of ___________.
My ideal morning consists of waking up and getting to spend a little time in bed with my husband and my son, where we’re just laughing, joking around and talking about the day. Those are my absolute favorite mornings and they always set the tone for the day.
What’s the one thing you do every morning that makes you feel healthy?
I used to work out a lot; I was a runner, but I stopped. I didn’t mean to, but when I had my [cancer] surgery around six years ago now, I was recovering and I kind of got off the running kick. So now I just take long walks. I try to walk for at least a half an hour. I love it; it clears my mind and makes me feel really good.
Doctors often warn against falling down the rabbit hole of the internet when it comes to health issues. Did you ever google your symptoms or anything after you got diagnosed with breast cancer?
When I was diagnosed, I was 36 years old. I had no family history, I was healthy and they couldn’t explain what caused it. So, of course I was online and trying to get answers. I was reading about other people’s experiences, and some of the information was helpful and some was not. But I think ultimately what helped was aligning myself with a great doctor, a great team and people in my life who could give me great advice.
What’s your advice for women who are tempted to do start searching their symptoms?
I think the internet is an incredible resource and there’s a lot of information out there. But I think, for something like breast cancer, it’s such an individual disease. Therefore you need a very individual treatment plan that’s right or specific for you. It’s very hard to go online and get the correct answers and the right information for you.
Finally, how did you take care of your mental health during your breast cancer treatment? Obviously cancer is so taxing on you physically, but what did you do to manage the anxiety?
I mean, it was tough. It was really tough to be able to have days where I could just relax and not be anxious and not worry about what was happening to me.
I think, honestly, it wasn’t so much that I was helping myself but really it was my husband who was an amazing source of strength and calm. He really made sure we’d go hiking, and take long walks and have fun dinners. He tried as much as possible to not necessarily take my mind off what was happening, but put me somewhere that wasn’t a medical setting. He’d take the conversation other places.
That was definitely helpful and something that I’ve told friends in the past. Otherwise, you’re just sitting on the sofa talking about it or in the doctor’s office talking about it.
Interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Kylie, 45, was diagnosed during her Showgirl world tour in 2005. After undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the singer took a few months off to recover. But determined Kylie made the ultimate comeback, and after being given the go-ahead by doctors, returned to the tour in 2006. She told the Radio Times: "A day does not go by without me thinking about [the breast cancer]. Just looking in a mirror is enough – the scars are moral and physical."
Sally Dyvenor
Coronation Street star, Sally Dyvenor, discovered she had breast cancer while filming a parallel storyline with her soap character, Sally Webster. But although it might seem like an unfortunate case of life imitating art, the storyline could have saved her life. Dyvenor had found a lump on her breast while on holiday the previous year. But it wasn't until she began to film the scenes in which her character, Sally Webster, finds a lump that she asked an on-set nurse to check it out. "If I had not been researching this storyline, I may not have discovered the lump in my breast and had it looked at so quickly," she said. In May 2014, Dyvenor, whose cancer spread to six of the lymph nodes under her arm, launched The Pledge Booklet. This draws on the experiences of more than 150 patients, to help provide guidance to those undergoing treatment for secondary cancer.
Jennifer Saunders
Like many women, Jennifer Saunders thought that because she had no family history of breast cancer, she wasn't at risk of the disease. So when the comedienne went for a mammogram in 2009, she assumed the results would be clear. She told the Telegraph: "I had no family history of breast cancer and I had breastfed, which I sort of thought exempted you." But sadly the scan did detect a small cancerous lump. After undergoing a lumpectomy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, Jennifer went public about her illness in the summer of 2010. The final part of Jennifer's treatment involved taking the drug Tamoxifen, which plunged her into the menopause and subsequently a bout of depression. But four years on, the BAFTA-winning writer is in good health: "I'm pleased to say that life is good again," she told the Telegraph.
Sharon Osbourne
Having fought breast cancer off once, Sharon Osbourne discovered she carried a faulty gene that put her at high risk of contracting the disease again. Like Angelina Jolie, she opted to have a preventative double mastectomy. She said: "As soon as I found out I had the breast cancer gene, I thought, 'the odds are not in my favour'. I’ve had cancer before and I didn’t want to live under that cloud. I decided to just take everything off, and had a double mastectomy."
Cynthia Nixon
Sex & The City star Cynthia Nixon was given the news that a small tumour had been found after a mammogram in 2006. In an interview on US show Good Morning America, she said: "I realised it had been found early so they could get right on with it." Her treatment involved a lumpectomy, followed by six weeks of radiation treatment. But Nixon chose not to go public about her battle with the disease until 2008. "I didn't really want to make it public while I was going through it. I didn't want paparazzi at the hospital, things like that," she said. The actress is now an official ambassador for Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the world's largest breast cancer organisation.
Olivia Newton-John
Grease star Olivia Newton-John was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992 – the same week her father died of cancer. She underwent a partial mastectomy and breast reconstruction and has been cancer-free for more than two decades. She is patron of the Olivia Newton-John Cancer & Wellness Centre at the Austin Hospital, Heidelberg, Melbourne, Autstralia. The singer believes that a positive attitude helped to get her through her battle with the disease: “I learned very quickly how important it was to think positively. When the second friend I called with the news burst into tears, I thought ‘I don’t need this’. I had a sister and friends make the calls. That way I could focus on positive thoughts.”
Anastacia
Singer Anastacia has fought off breast cancer twice and in 2013 had a double mastectomy. She said in an inspiring statement during Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2013: "l was diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time earlier this year and am currently in the final stages of recovery after undergoing a double mastectomy. "It has been an intense journey but l am feeling great and ready to start the next chapter. "Breast Cancer Awareness Month gives all who are facing this disease a chance to gain strength and support from each other. "Early detection has saved my life twice. I will continue to battle and lend my voice in anyway I can."
Sam Taylor-Johnson (née Taylor-Wood)
Sam Taylor-Johnson has survived cancer twice. The award-winning filmmaker was diagnosed with colon cancer in 1997, weeks after giving birth to her first daughter. In 2000, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy and six months of chemotherapy. In an interview with The Guardian, the artist was asked if she emerged from her illness 'harder'. She responded: "I don't necessarily think harder, but I do think you're more free about where you want to be in life. Time is precious."
Sheryl Crow
The 'If It Makes You Happy' singer had a lumpectomy after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006. Sadly, in 2011, doctors discovered a brain tumour, which fortunately was benign. It has shown little growth and is monitored every six months with an MRI scan. "Without question, finding out I had breast cancer seven and a half years ago was a game changer. It forced me really to look at who I was," she told The Mirror. Having just split from her partner Lance Armstrong at the time of the diagnosis, the singer was forced to ask herself some searching questions about what was lacking from her life. As a result, she left her New York home and bought a farm in Nashville, Tennessee, where she now lives with her adopted sons, Wyatt, 7, and Levi, 4.
Dame Maggie Smith
Dame Maggie Smith, one of the country's best-loved actresses, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008. The courageous star was filming Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince, while undergoing intensive chemotherapy treatment. She said the experience of having cancer had “very much” changed her: “I think it’s the age I was when it happened. It knocks you sideways. It takes you longer to recover, you are not so resilient. I am fearful of the amount of energy one needs to be in a film or a play.” But despite her ordeal, she held onto her sense of humour throughout. She said of filming Harry Potter...: “I was hairless. I had no problem getting the wig on. I was like a boiled egg."
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![Kylie, 45, was diagnosed during her Showgirl world tour in 2005. After undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the singer took a few months off to recover. But determined Kylie made the ultimate comeback, and after being given the go-ahead by doctors, returned to the tour in 2006. <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/01/07/kylie-minogue-cancer-the-voice_n_4553290.html" target="_blank">She told the Radio Times:</a> "A day does not go by without me thinking about [the breast cancer]. Just looking in a mirror is enough – the scars are moral and physical."](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/r70TW7pM21na7Wy2DRsqjA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MA--/https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/55d4d416170000b700567ff4.jpg)
