Heavy A woman holds a pink breast cancer ribbon
This holiday season, Hallmark star and Broadway actress Patti Murin is feeling especially grateful for her family’s health. On December 14, 2023, Murin shared a lengthy Instagram post revealing that her mom was recently diagnosed with breast cancer but has completed treatment successfully.
Murin wrote that her underwent a lumpectomy and 16 rounds of radiation. The experience has reminded the “Mystic Christmas” star how important it is to be diligent about breast health, sharing an “urgent message” with fans to encourage them to schedule their regular mammograms and speak up for themselves with their health care teams.
Here’s what you need to know:
Patti Murin Calls Her Mom the ‘Center of Our Family’s Orbit’
Murin, who has starred in multiple Hallmark movies and was the original “Anna” during the first two years of Disney’s Broadway production of “Frozen,” started out her post by sharing that her mom was diagnosed with a “slow-growing” breast cancer six months ago.
“It was a small and slow growing mass, so she was able to take care of it very quickly with a lumpectomy and 16 rounds of radiation,” she wrote. “Because they caught it so early, she didn’t have to go through chemo, and her treatment plan was incredibly specific and able to be completed fairly quickly.”
According to MD Anderson Cancer Center, a lumpectomy is a surgery in which “the tumor and a small amount of surrounding tissue called the margin is removed” and most of the breast is left intact. Typically, the surgery is “followed by four to six weeks of radiation therapy to ensure that there are no more remaining cancer cells.”
Murin is obviously relieved that her mom is doing okay, but aware of how different the outcome could have been if her mom’s cancer had not been noticed early on a mammogram.
“Yes, you can say she was lucky,” Murin wrote of her mom. “But that luck only exists because she was incredibly diligent about getting her yearly mammogram.”
“She would go every single year from the time she was able,” she continued, “and has always encouraged my sister and I to do the same.”
“My mom is the center of our family’s orbit,” Murin shared. “She is one of the best humans I know. I’ve always been in awe of her for a million reasons, but being an advocate for her own health is the most badass one. She saved her own life by caring about her body, and for wanting to be here to watch her children and grandchildren grow for as many years as possible.”
Patti Murin Urges Fans to Schedule Their Mammograms & Do Self Exams
Murin, who has two young girls of her own, shared her mom’s diagnosis and treatment publicly because she felt compelled to urge her own followers to take care of their own breast health.
She wrote, “It’s my turn to pass on this urgent message: If you are able to and of age, pick up the phone today and schedule your routine mammogram.”
She continued, “If you are not able or of age yet, please make sure to know your breasts so well that you’ll be able to tell if anything seems off or different. Add a yearly exam by a gynecologist so there are two people who know what your breast tissue should feel like. If you have a partner, have them get familiar with your breasts so they can chime in if they feel like something new has appeared.”
Many breast cancer survivors and advocates flooded Murin’s post to share their relief about her mom and their own stories.
One wrote, “I’m so happy to hear about your mom. I want to also say that men need to do self exams. My dad was a breast cancer survivor. I also have a 32 year old friend who has metastatic breast cancer.”
Murin replied, “Thank you so much for sharing this! Just goes to show that cancer truly doesn’t pick and choose, and every single person should be diligent. I’m so glad I know this now ♥️”
In Murin’s post, she shared a photo of her and her mom at the season finale of ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars,” a show that she said she watches religiously with her mom and sister each week, comparing notes via text. When a producer friend heard how special the show is to them, he arranged for Murin to bring her mom to the show “to celebrate the completion of her radiation.”