'Melrose Place' actress Marcia Cross talks about anal cancer battle to remove 'shame,' stigma of disease
Opening up about any cancer battle is a personal choice and one where there is absolutely no wrong way to go about it.
But the stigma around anal cancer is one that "Melrose Place" star Marcia Cross wanted to remove by sharing her journey with the deadly disease.
Cross, 57, told People magazine that after she was diagnosed a year-and-a-half ago, she decided to share details and photos on her social media, even asking other survivors questions on how to deal with the treatment's side effects.
Taking a look at her Instagram, you'll see Cross is painfully candid about hair loss and other things that come along with cancer treatment.
"I’ve read a lot of [anal] cancer-survivor stories, and many people, women especially, were too embarrassed to say what kind of cancer they had. There is a lot of shame about it. I want that to stop,” she told the magazine.
Cross admitted that it wasn't easy, considering how private she usually is, but added in a humorous way, "Having woken up to its importance, I am now a big fan of the anus!”
Now she's a year from having her cancer go into remission and is happy everything works properly and that she didn't need surgery. She went through six weeks of radiation and chemotherapy instead.
She also spoke on the symptoms of anal cancer to spread awareness, saying that she experienced bleeding, pain and itching.
Cross advised others not to be embarrassed and talk to a doctor if something feels wrong.
“Don’t let it go," she said. "It’s a very curable cancer if caught early, which mine was."
