Sofía Vergara Talks Being A Cancer Survivor, Reminds People Cancer Doesn’t Always Mean The End
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When we think of Sofia Vergara, we think of a beautiful bombshell with great comedic timing and business savvy. It’s hard to believe that someone so funny and gorgeous experienced hardship and pain in their life. But Sofia Vergara definitely did. Vergara was diagnosed with thyroid cancer when she was 28 years old. Although she is in remission, the experience has shaped who she is today.
Many many have forgotten that Vergara is a cancer survivor. But on Saturday, she opened up about her thyroid cancer diagnosis in Saturday’s Stand Up To Cancer telecast.
The Stand Up To Cancer telecast, which is held every year, was a star-studded event broadcast to 60 participating media platforms. The fundraising event was founded by Katie Couric and has raised hundreds of millions of dollars for cancer research. Sofía Vergara co-hosted the Stand Up To Cancer with celebrities like Reese Witherspoon and Anthony Anderson.
Towards the end of the telecast, Vergara shared her own very personal experience with cancer. “At 28-years-old during a routine doctor’s visit, my doctor felt a lump in my neck,” Vergara revealed. “They did a lot of tests and finally told me I had thyroid cancer. When you’re young and you hear that word ‘cancer,’ your mind goes to so many places, but I tried not to panic and I decided to get educated.”
Vergara explained that she “read every book and found out everything I could about” thyroid cancer.
“I was fortunate to have caught it early and to have the support of my doctors and most importantly, my family,” she said. “I learned a lot during that time, not just about thyroid cancer but I also learned that in times of crisis, we’re better together.”
Vergara also explained that, because she caught it early, she had a better chance of survival. “I was fortunate to have caught it early and to have the support of my doctors and most importantly, my family,” she said. “I learned a lot during that time, not just about thyroid cancer but I also learned that in times of crisis, we’re better together.”
When Sofía Vergara was diagnosed with cancer in 2008, she was 28-years-old. Not wanting to draw attention to her illness, she largely kept her diagnosis a secret.
“I didn’t want publicity because of [cancer],” she explained to Health in 2011. Vergara had surgery to remove her thyroid and also underwent radioiodine therapy. While trying to build her entertainment career and raise a son, the experience was taxing. “Having cancer is not fun,” she said. You don’t want to deal with anything else while you’re going through it.”
Ever the optimist, Sofía Vergara says that she believes her experience with cancer changed her for the better. “When you go through something like this, it’s hard, but you learn a lot from it. Your priorities change. You don’t sweat the small stuff. And it had a good ending.”
Being a cancer survivor also encouraged Vergara to use her platform to help others who are living through cancer. Not only is she actively involved with Stand Up To Cancer, but she also had a hand in building a cancer center in her hometown of Barranquilla, Colombia through a charity she sponsors.
