Rue McClanahan Breast Cancer Survivor, dies at age 76

the news of the day has certainly centered around the loss of yet another one of everyone’s favorite golden girls, the sexy and sassy southern belle, Rue McClanahan, aka Blanche Devereaux.

In 1997, Rue McClanahan was diagnosed with breast cancer, underwent treatment (lumpectomy) for breast cancer in June 1997, and subsequently became a breast cancer survivor. In recent years, she battled other health issues, and a massive stroke was the cause of her death on June

She often shared her battle with breast cancer by speaking to many women’s groups about her own experience:

Rue speaks to her audience about the emotional, physical and psychological obstacles a woman must overcome in order to survive this deadly battle. McClanahan looks at the whole range of difficult choices women are faced with when diagnosed with breast cancer – the moment they learn of it, telling their loved ones, the medical processes involved, acceptance and recovery. Most importantly, she demonstrates with colorful examples from her own life that to overcome obstacles you must have hope and faith in yourself and in those around you. ~ sterling speakers int’l.

Rue McClanahan did an interview in Mamm Magazine back in 2007, and said this about dealing with breast cancer:

But I’ll tell you, you really are very confused when you’re given that news that you have breast cancer. You don’t know what to do, and one thing you don’t know about is whether to take the conventional route or to go the alternative route. I remember I actually had my husband, Morrow—well, he wasn’t my husband yet—but I had the two of us booked into a place over in Switzerland. It was a cancer treatment center, but they don’t do the conventional chemo thing and radiation. In fact, the first thing they do is take all of the lead out of your teeth, all the mercury. That’s the first thing they do. Not that I’m saying that that, in and of itself, is a bad idea. Because I’ve actually had that done subsequently, but…

Anyway, we were exploring alternative treatments and running around seeing surgeons and oncologists and having all the conventional tests and procedures. And I was extremely fortunate indeed to encounter Dr. Larry Norton of Sloan-Kettering in New York, a genius in his field. He was also one of the very few who didn’t insist on doing a single or double mastectomy immediately. He thought I had a chance going with a lumpectomy. And he gave me the choice at the time of taking a strong dose of chemo, or the strongest dose. And I said, “Let’s go for the strongest.” And I think that’s why my treatment was both so successful and so debilitating.

Golden Girls was always a favorite show of mine growing up, and my college roommates and I also liked to watch the reruns with a classy glass of pink wine in a box -

Now let’s all raise a glass of pink blush / rose wine , perhaps one of the breast cancer wines –   in honor of your lifes work and putting a smile on our faces for so many years!

thank you for being a friend…