When Maura Tierney was diagnosed with an early stage of breast cancer in 2009, she kept the details of her treatment relatively private – until now.
“I remember thinking, “I”m so young, this can”t be happening,” ” Tierney, 47, tells us in this week”s issue, on newsstands now. “It was an odd moment.”
After undergoing a skin-sparing mastectomy – a procedure that leaves the skin intact for reconstructive surgery – Tierney was shocked to learn that she also required three months of regular chemotherapy.
“It”s not fun. You don”t feel well,” says the actress, who now works as a spokeswoman for Amgen”s Chemotherapy: Myths or Facts campaign. But “if you take care of yourself and exercise, it helps. Exercising is extremely important.”
Now finished with treatment, Tierney – who will guest-star on The Good Wife this fall – gets a yearly MRI and mammogram and is focused on staying strong.
“I think I always kind of lived in the moment. I don”t think [cancer] changed me that way,” she says. “But I spend a lot more time with my family now – that”s one solid difference.”
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