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The heartfelt message Rita Wilson gave Tom Hanks after cancer diagnosis

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Tom Hanks on His Wife Rita Wilson
Gregg DeGuire/Getty Images, FILE
Michael Rothman
ByMichael Rothman
March 28, 2019, 2:11 PM

Rita Wilson and Tom Hanks are one of the most respected and beloved Hollywood couples around, so it should come as no surprise that when she found out about her breast cancer diagnosis four years ago, she handled the situation with class and a bit of humor.

Wilson, a singer and actress, announced in 2015 she had gotten through the cancer, but this week, she revealed in an Instagram post that in the event she did not survive the disease, she had some choice words for her Oscar-winning husband.

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(MORE: Rita Wilson Says She 'Won' Her Cancer Battle)

"Four years ago when I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I had so many different thoughts. You're scared, anxious, you think about your own mortality," she wrote this week on Instagram.

Next, Wilson revealed how a brave decision turned into inspiration for her music.

She continued, "So I had a serious discussion with my husband that if anything happens, I wanted him to be super sad for a very long time and I'd also like a party, a celebration. Out of that story, I wrote ‘Throw Me a Party' with @lizrose0606 and @kristianbush —3 DAYS until my new album #halfwaytohome is released."

Hanks and Wilson have been married for well over 30 years and Wilson has three studio albums to her credit, along with dozens of movies she's been featured in. "Half Way to Home" will be her fourth effort and is obviously inspired by her life.

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(MORE: Rita Wilson Has Breast Cancer, Underwent Double Mastectomy)

In early 2015, Wilson told People magazine, "I have taken a leave from the play 'Fish in the Dark' to deal with a personal health issue. Last week, with my husband by my side, and with the love and support of family and friends, I underwent a bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction for breast cancer after a diagnosis of invasive lobular carcinoma."

Months later, she announced at the Tony Awards that she had recovered from the disease.

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