Amanda Peet reveals breast cancer diagnosis in emotional essay
What's the story
Hollywood actor Amanda Peet (54) recently opened up about her breast cancer diagnosis in a candid essay for The New Yorker. The Your Friends and Neighbors star revealed that she had long been advised "extra monitoring" for her "dense" and "busy" breasts. She has been seeing a breast surgeon every six months for checkups, but it was during one of these routine visits that she received the shocking news of her diagnosis.
Diagnosis details
The tumor was detected during a routine scan
Peet recounted that during a routine scan, the doctor noticed something unusual on an ultrasound and decided to conduct a biopsy. The results were shared with her the next day, confirming her worst fears. "The tumor 'appeared' to be small, but I would need an MRI after the holiday weekend to determine 'the extent of disease,'" she wrote.
Family struggles
Peet's parents were in hospice care during the diagnosis
The diagnosis came at a particularly challenging time for Peet, as her parents were in hospice care "on opposite coasts." She rushed to New York but couldn't make it before her father's death. Upon returning to Los Angeles, she learned that her stage I diagnosis was "hormone-receptor-positive" and "HER2-negative." Despite the grim news, Peet found solace in knowing that she would be treated with a lumpectomy and radiation therapy.
Personal reflections
Peet shared a heartbreaking moment with her mother
The Saving Silverman actor also shared a touching moment with her mother, who passed away in January. She wrote about how she climbed onto her mother's hospital bed to get in her line of vision when the morphine was taking too long to kick in. "We locked eyes, and she quieted down, and then she and I continued to stare at each other for what felt like several minutes," Peet recalled.
Friend's reaction
Sarah Paulson praised Peet's essay on social media
Peet's friend and fellow actor Sarah Paulson took to social media to praise the essay. She wrote, "My best friend, Amanda Peet, the weirdest thing in the world is to say her full name out loud, as I call her Bird, but that's the name her parents gave her." "Seems fitting to use here as she has written the most profoundly gorgeous essay about the loss of her parents, while dealing with a breast cancer diagnosis," Paulson added.