If she can, so can I.........my defining moment

Applegate undergoes double mastectomy

Christina Applegate is interviewed by Robin Roberts on ABC's Good Morning America in New York.Photo: Reuters
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August 20, 2008 - 12:50PM
American actor Christina Applegate says she underwent a double mastectomy after being diagnosed with breast cancer.
Applegate, who has now been given the all-clear by doctors, said having the surgery three weeks ago was a tough decision.
But the 36-year-old opted for the drastic procedure rather than having to undergo other longer-term treatments.
"My decision, after looking at all the treatment plans that were possibilities for me, the only one that seemed the most logical and the one that was going to work for me was to have a bilateral mastectomy," Applegate told Good Morning America in an interview aired today.
"I didn't want to go back to the doctors every four months for testing and squishing and everything.
"I just wanted to kind of get rid of this whole thing for me.
"This was the choice that I made and it was a tough one."
Applegate, the star of Samantha Who? which aired in Australia on the Seven Network, says she's now been given a clean bill of health by doctors and will undergo breast reconstruction surgery over the next eight month.
She said the emotional toll has been heavy.
"Sometimes, you know, I cry. And sometimes I scream. And I get really angry. And I get really upset, you know, into wallowing in self-pity sometimes. And I think that it's all part of the healing," she said.
The actor's publicist, Ame Van Iden, announced earlier this month that Applegate was being treated for the disease after it was detected through a doctor-ordered MRI.
"I was so mad," she told GMA about her diagnosis.
"I was just shaking and - and then also immediately, I had to go into ... take-care-of-business-mode, which was ... I asked them, 'What do I do now? What - what is it that I do? I get a doctor, I get a surgeon, I get an oncologist? What do I do?'."
She now follows a healthy diet of fish, grains, beans and vegetables, and avoids processed foods.
The actor, whose mother Nancy Priddy has repeatedly battled breast cancer, said she began getting mammograms at the age of 30.
She is optimistic about her future.
"You know, I really love living and I really love my life. I knew from this moment on, it was only going to be good and that was going to be coming," she said.
"Yeah, I'm going to face challenges, but you can't get any darker than where I've been. So, just knowing that in my soul gave me the strength to just say, 'I've got to - I have to get out there and - and make this positive.
"And you know, I'm going to have cute boobs till I'm 90."

Unspeakable speaks...........

It is so refreshing to hear the stories of others that are faced with similar situations as ours. It is in the testimonies of others that we find the strength to move forward in our own lives and circumstances. When reading this story about Christina Applegate, I saw a lot of myself in her interview. But what caught my attention the most were our differences. At no point during my journey was I angry. There was no "God, why me" syndrome. It is my belief that in all of our lives, we have "defining moments," that usher us into our destiny. These moments are usually hard and marked by insurmountable odds, that stretch us far beyond anything that we have ever experienced before. When this happens, It is counter productive to get angry, why you may ask.............because this is an opportunity to stretch your faith, develop your character, learn how to endure, and to be persistant in achieving your dreams. If you are angry, how can you grasp the lesson that is being taught in the midst of your hardship? Don't get me wrong, it is an extremely hard situation to stomach, when your life is being threatened by a silent killer that snuffed up on you when you weren't looking. But what I want you to realize is that before that even happens, you have a choice. You have a choice to make up your mind before the storm even comes. The cliche that says, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger," is absolutely right. Every trial and tribulation that you and I encounter builds us up for our "defining moments" in life. Take the time to dig deep within yourself and examine all of the major turning points in your life and trace the decisions that you made during those times. Did those decisions lead you to this place? Are you at a crossroads, where things are so hard and you have your back up against a wall? Is God the only one that can turn your situation around? If so, I submit to you that this is one of those defining moments that He is using to usher you into your destiny. The decisions and choices that you make at this particular moment are critical to your fulfillment. Don't get angry, don't complain, but thank God for the opportunity to trust in him more, thank Him for not being a respecter of persons and showing you beacons of hope in others, and most of thank Him for having enough faith in you as His child to place this opportunity in your path. It's your "defining moment," what are you going to do with it??