LA Times, March 2008
http://www.cancerschmancer.org/articles/54/1/LA-Times-March-2008/Page1.html
By Fran Drescher
Published on 03/30/2008
Lending her Voice: Actress Fran Drescher Fights for Cancer Awareness
Lending her Voice: Actress Fran Drescher Fights for Cancer Awareness
Lending her Voice: Actress Fran Drescher Fights for Cancer Awareness
BY DEE LONG
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTIONS WRITER
Los Angeles Times
Best known to television audiences for creating the lovable yet exasperating character of Fran Fine in "The Nanny," Fran Drescher has made her distinctive nasal voice as much a signature as Lucille Ball’s red hair or Phyllis Diller’s cackle.
The TV and movie actress from Queens, N.Y., first came to the public’s attention flirting with John Travolta in "Saturday Night Fever" in 1977, but it wasn’t until she and her then-husband (and high school sweetheart) Peter Marc Jacobson pitched "The Nanny" series to CBS in the early ’90s that Drescher became a household name. Although Drescher has been nominated for, but never won, Golden Globe, Emmy and American Comedy awards, her appeal to entertainment audiences has been multifaceted, not only as a comedian, but also as a director, producer and author of two best-selling books: the autobiographical "Enter Whining" and her life-affirming journey toward wellness, "Cancer Schmancer."
Although she works in an industry that worships youth, the comedian stared down the milestone of turning 50 last September without blinking an eye. That’s because five years ago Drescher had to face the possibility that she might not have that many birthdays ahead. Diagnosed with uterine cancer after a grueling medical odyssey that included visits to eight different doctors over a two-year period, Drescher then had to have a radical hysterectomy in 2002.
The illness, she said, taught her to focus on living rather than aging.
The woman who brought "The Nanny" into the annals of TV history is now making history of a different sort with her nonprofit advocacy organization, Cancer Schmancer (www.cancerschmancer.org), named after her book about her medical ordeal. Drescher said she is committed to bringing a revolution to women’s healthcare with better education and quicker treatment for gynecological cancers.
"What most impresses me about Fran is how she’s transformed her own personal suffering and survivorship into creating a national movement focusing on the importance of early detection for ovarian, uterine and cervical cancers," said oncologist Dr. Cary Presant, a member of Cancer Schmancer Foundation’s board. "Many celebrities lend their name to a cause, but what’s remarkable about Fran is that she’s built the Cancer Schmancer movement from the ground up, and I admire her for that courage." Drescher’s longtime friend Twyla Littleton-Shabtai, who serves as treasurer on the board, said Drescher is a formidable force: "It is an exciting and wild ride working with Fran. She will not take no as an answer. She will not hear that something cannot be done. This attitude is infectious." In a recent telephone interview from her Malibu home, Drescher spoke passionately and thoughtfully about Cancer Schmancer and her mission to improve women’s health worldwide.
HOW DID YOU REACT TO TURNING 50?
It was definitely not traumatic. Every year since the cancer, you have a much better perspective on each year you’re blessed with, and I count my years of wellness with a much greater appreciation. Friends were telling me six months before my 50th, we gotta do this or that, and I told them I’m too busy to do any planning. But I did have two parties in New York, a party in Washington, D.C., and another in Los Angeles.
HOW HAS YOUR PERSPECTIVE CHANGED SINCE YOUR CANCER DIAGNOSIS?
There have been many silver life lessons out of my cancer survival. I recognize I’m not a superwoman. I walk on the ground among all the other humans. Before cancer, I felt I had to be the caregiver and handle everything. Now I’m much more comfortable receiving.
YOU SAID IN YOUR BOOK ‘CANCER SCHMANCER,’ ‘MY WHOLE LIFE HAS BEEN ABOUT CHANGING NEGATIVES INTO POSITIVES.’ WHAT DID YOU MEAN BY THAT?
I was a victim of a violent crime in the mid-1980s and had to turn that around by setting it straight in my head. I managed to quit smoking, which was very challenging and difficult, but that action became a barometer that if I can do this, I can get through any troubled waters. We all make plans for the future, but no one has a crystal ball. On any given day, you can get sideswiped and your life changes forever. I learned that if a plan stops working, you have to let it go and not get mired in bitterness. You have to play a new hand, and play the hand that’s dealt you. Everything else is in your imagination. I’m definitely living for today because I realize how intangible tomorrow may be.
DID YOU LOSE YOUR SENSE OF HUMOR WHILE DEALING WITH CANCER?
It took four drafts to strike the funny bone in my book. There was a brief period when I felt very angry and betrayed by my body and the medical community. Even though I’m a woman, I’ll never experience being able to grow a child inside me. But you adapt to life’s lessons - this is the hand you’ve been dealt and what are you going to do?
DO YOU FOLLOW A SPECIFIC HEALTH REGIMEN?
I eat lots of vegetables, fruits and whole foods, complex carbs that are slower to digest. A lot of organic chicken and fish and occasionally red meat. My food choices increase the natural alkaline and decrease the acidity in my system. Cancer can only thrive when your body’s acidic.
JOHANNA’S LAW TO FUND A NATIONAL GYNECOLOGICAL CANCER-AWARENESS CAMPAIGN WAS SIGNED INTO LAW BY PRESIDENT BUSH IN JANUARY 2007 - WHAT’S HAPPENED SINCE THEN?
We’ve jumped through several hoops, but the first $61/2 million for the campaign has been funded for 2008. Now we’ve introduced an initiative to the state of California legislature that mandates more diagnostic screeners [such as vaginal ultrasound and breast MRI testing] for women. . . .
At Mrs. Coretta Scott King’s memorial, I thought what a shame that a woman like this should perish from ovarian cancer in the 21st century.
Our tag line for Cancer Schmancer is ‘Stage 1 IS the cure,’ meaning early detection is the cure for the three kinds of gynecological cancer, ovarian, cervical and uterine. The woman is the caregiver in most American families, the very glue that holds the family together. We want every woman to take control of her body by becoming a medical consumer and knowing what tests are available. Become an advocate for your own health. I don’t give away power of attorney over my money, why should I give away power over my body? I hope to see in my lifetime that every woman with gynecological cancer is diagnosed at Stage 1, when it’s curable.
WHERE DOES YOUR DRIVE AND DETERMINATION COME FROM?
It’s something that gets developed in childhood because of a family dynamic. I got attention, approval and love from my parents while growing up when I was achieving, being strong and self-sufficient.
WHEN DID YOU DECIDE ON A COMEDY CAREER?
During high school, I evaluated all the things I could see myself doing - hairdressing, acting, writing, being an entrepreneur (all of which, by the way I’ve accomplished) - and acting came easily and I felt good doing it. I have a funny family. My parents have a good sense of humor, so it’s part heredity, part environment.
WHY DO YOU THINK ‘THE NANNY’ WAS WARMLY EMBRACED BY VIEWERS?
One of the things I’m very proud of is that people are always telling me they laugh out loud when they watch the episodes, and that kind of humor is very healing. But it’s also very hard to achieve that - you know, the situation may be funny, but where’s the laugh? We were lucky that we managed to surround ourselves with writers who could find that laugh.
IS IT TRUE YOU PITCHED THE IDEA FOR ‘THE NANNY’ TO THE PRESIDENT OF CBS ENTERTAINMENT BECAUSE YOU WERE ON THE SAME PLANE?
I was on a plane going to visit a girlfriend in southwestern France, and the president Jeff Sagansky was on the same flight to Paris. We exchanged hellos, and I kept thinking 'carpe diem, carpe diem,' so I ran to the bathroom to put on some makeup, came out and sat down next to him. He told me the kind of series he thought would be right for me, and I told him that nothing is going to fit me hand in glove because I’m too original. Nine and a half hours later, I’m at my girlfriend’s house with her two children and thought I would lose my mind. I had never traveled so far alone without my husband and was so miserable with her two screaming kids that I rerouted my trip and went to visit Twiggy [a friend from previous work projects] in London. I started schlepping around with her very proper English schoolgirl daughter who was kvetching that her new shoes were hurting her which resulted in thoughts about nannies and kids. I couldn’t sleep that night and called her then husband Peter Jacobson from London and told him I felt I had finally found the right vehicle to pitch to CBS: a spin on the ‘Sound of Music,’ but instead of Julie Andrews, I come to the door. We gave that one-liner to the development person " ‘Fran Drescher is the nanny from hell’ " and the rest is television history. WHAT PROJECTS ARE YOU CURRENTLY INVOLVED IN? I just produced a powerful ‘Cancer Schmancer Tea Party’ DVD filmed at my home in Malibu. It features all ages and races of women, thin to fat, to educate women about gynecological cancer and treatment. I’m developing a TV series for me and Rosie O’Donnell. And I’m writing a children’s book.
WHAT’S IMPORTANT FOR YOU IN 2008?
No new romance yet - but this is my year. I’ve just decided to achieve greater balance and am encouraging more of a lightness in myself. I want to enjoy romantic love again. I have Esther, an amazing brown Pomeranian dog who taught me about loving after loss. She’s so sweet, giving and loving, perfect for me at this stage of my life. Dee Long is a freelance journalist based in Van Nuys.
Preventive Measures
Cancer Schmancer (www.CancerSchmancer. org) offers health tips for women. Lifestyle choices that decrease cancer risk are:
¦ a diet rich in whole foods, fruits and vegetables;
¦ using condoms during sexual intercourse;
¦ limiting the number of sexual partners;
¦ regular exercise.
According to Cancer Schmancer, these are the eight known risk factors for gynecological cancers:
¦ smoking;
¦ being overweight;
¦ failing to get annual Pap smear tests;
¦ having a high-fat diet;
¦ family history of cancer;
¦ being 60 years of age or older;
¦ long-term hormone replacement (HRT) drug use;
¦ starting menstruation at an early age.
These are some of the warning signs of gynecological cancer:
¦ backache;
¦ pelvic pain or cramping;
¦ bloating even after eating small meals;
¦ abdominal swelling;
¦ loss of appetite or rapid weight gain;
¦ pain during intercourse or urination;
¦ unusual vaginal bleeding.
If any symptoms last longer than two weeks, see a doctor.
- DEE LONG
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTIONS WRITER
Los Angeles Times
Best known to television audiences for creating the lovable yet exasperating character of Fran Fine in "The Nanny," Fran Drescher has made her distinctive nasal voice as much a signature as Lucille Ball’s red hair or Phyllis Diller’s cackle.
The TV and movie actress from Queens, N.Y., first came to the public’s attention flirting with John Travolta in "Saturday Night Fever" in 1977, but it wasn’t until she and her then-husband (and high school sweetheart) Peter Marc Jacobson pitched "The Nanny" series to CBS in the early ’90s that Drescher became a household name. Although Drescher has been nominated for, but never won, Golden Globe, Emmy and American Comedy awards, her appeal to entertainment audiences has been multifaceted, not only as a comedian, but also as a director, producer and author of two best-selling books: the autobiographical "Enter Whining" and her life-affirming journey toward wellness, "Cancer Schmancer."
Although she works in an industry that worships youth, the comedian stared down the milestone of turning 50 last September without blinking an eye. That’s because five years ago Drescher had to face the possibility that she might not have that many birthdays ahead. Diagnosed with uterine cancer after a grueling medical odyssey that included visits to eight different doctors over a two-year period, Drescher then had to have a radical hysterectomy in 2002.
The illness, she said, taught her to focus on living rather than aging.The woman who brought "The Nanny" into the annals of TV history is now making history of a different sort with her nonprofit advocacy organization, Cancer Schmancer (www.cancerschmancer.org), named after her book about her medical ordeal. Drescher said she is committed to bringing a revolution to women’s healthcare with better education and quicker treatment for gynecological cancers.
"What most impresses me about Fran is how she’s transformed her own personal suffering and survivorship into creating a national movement focusing on the importance of early detection for ovarian, uterine and cervical cancers," said oncologist Dr. Cary Presant, a member of Cancer Schmancer Foundation’s board. "Many celebrities lend their name to a cause, but what’s remarkable about Fran is that she’s built the Cancer Schmancer movement from the ground up, and I admire her for that courage." Drescher’s longtime friend Twyla Littleton-Shabtai, who serves as treasurer on the board, said Drescher is a formidable force: "It is an exciting and wild ride working with Fran. She will not take no as an answer. She will not hear that something cannot be done. This attitude is infectious." In a recent telephone interview from her Malibu home, Drescher spoke passionately and thoughtfully about Cancer Schmancer and her mission to improve women’s health worldwide.
HOW DID YOU REACT TO TURNING 50?
It was definitely not traumatic. Every year since the cancer, you have a much better perspective on each year you’re blessed with, and I count my years of wellness with a much greater appreciation. Friends were telling me six months before my 50th, we gotta do this or that, and I told them I’m too busy to do any planning. But I did have two parties in New York, a party in Washington, D.C., and another in Los Angeles.
HOW HAS YOUR PERSPECTIVE CHANGED SINCE YOUR CANCER DIAGNOSIS?
There have been many silver life lessons out of my cancer survival. I recognize I’m not a superwoman. I walk on the ground among all the other humans. Before cancer, I felt I had to be the caregiver and handle everything. Now I’m much more comfortable receiving.
YOU SAID IN YOUR BOOK ‘CANCER SCHMANCER,’ ‘MY WHOLE LIFE HAS BEEN ABOUT CHANGING NEGATIVES INTO POSITIVES.’ WHAT DID YOU MEAN BY THAT?
I was a victim of a violent crime in the mid-1980s and had to turn that around by setting it straight in my head. I managed to quit smoking, which was very challenging and difficult, but that action became a barometer that if I can do this, I can get through any troubled waters. We all make plans for the future, but no one has a crystal ball. On any given day, you can get sideswiped and your life changes forever. I learned that if a plan stops working, you have to let it go and not get mired in bitterness. You have to play a new hand, and play the hand that’s dealt you. Everything else is in your imagination. I’m definitely living for today because I realize how intangible tomorrow may be.
DID YOU LOSE YOUR SENSE OF HUMOR WHILE DEALING WITH CANCER?
It took four drafts to strike the funny bone in my book. There was a brief period when I felt very angry and betrayed by my body and the medical community. Even though I’m a woman, I’ll never experience being able to grow a child inside me. But you adapt to life’s lessons - this is the hand you’ve been dealt and what are you going to do?
DO YOU FOLLOW A SPECIFIC HEALTH REGIMEN?I eat lots of vegetables, fruits and whole foods, complex carbs that are slower to digest. A lot of organic chicken and fish and occasionally red meat. My food choices increase the natural alkaline and decrease the acidity in my system. Cancer can only thrive when your body’s acidic.
JOHANNA’S LAW TO FUND A NATIONAL GYNECOLOGICAL CANCER-AWARENESS CAMPAIGN WAS SIGNED INTO LAW BY PRESIDENT BUSH IN JANUARY 2007 - WHAT’S HAPPENED SINCE THEN?
We’ve jumped through several hoops, but the first $61/2 million for the campaign has been funded for 2008. Now we’ve introduced an initiative to the state of California legislature that mandates more diagnostic screeners [such as vaginal ultrasound and breast MRI testing] for women. . . .
At Mrs. Coretta Scott King’s memorial, I thought what a shame that a woman like this should perish from ovarian cancer in the 21st century.
Our tag line for Cancer Schmancer is ‘Stage 1 IS the cure,’ meaning early detection is the cure for the three kinds of gynecological cancer, ovarian, cervical and uterine. The woman is the caregiver in most American families, the very glue that holds the family together. We want every woman to take control of her body by becoming a medical consumer and knowing what tests are available. Become an advocate for your own health. I don’t give away power of attorney over my money, why should I give away power over my body? I hope to see in my lifetime that every woman with gynecological cancer is diagnosed at Stage 1, when it’s curable.
WHERE DOES YOUR DRIVE AND DETERMINATION COME FROM?
It’s something that gets developed in childhood because of a family dynamic. I got attention, approval and love from my parents while growing up when I was achieving, being strong and self-sufficient.
WHEN DID YOU DECIDE ON A COMEDY CAREER?
During high school, I evaluated all the things I could see myself doing - hairdressing, acting, writing, being an entrepreneur (all of which, by the way I’ve accomplished) - and acting came easily and I felt good doing it. I have a funny family. My parents have a good sense of humor, so it’s part heredity, part environment.
WHY DO YOU THINK ‘THE NANNY’ WAS WARMLY EMBRACED BY VIEWERS?
One of the things I’m very proud of is that people are always telling me they laugh out loud when they watch the episodes, and that kind of humor is very healing. But it’s also very hard to achieve that - you know, the situation may be funny, but where’s the laugh? We were lucky that we managed to surround ourselves with writers who could find that laugh.
IS IT TRUE YOU PITCHED THE IDEA FOR ‘THE NANNY’ TO THE PRESIDENT OF CBS ENTERTAINMENT BECAUSE YOU WERE ON THE SAME PLANE?
I was on a plane going to visit a girlfriend in southwestern France, and the president Jeff Sagansky was on the same flight to Paris. We exchanged hellos, and I kept thinking 'carpe diem, carpe diem,' so I ran to the bathroom to put on some makeup, came out and sat down next to him. He told me the kind of series he thought would be right for me, and I told him that nothing is going to fit me hand in glove because I’m too original. Nine and a half hours later, I’m at my girlfriend’s house with her two children and thought I would lose my mind. I had never traveled so far alone without my husband and was so miserable with her two screaming kids that I rerouted my trip and went to visit Twiggy [a friend from previous work projects] in London. I started schlepping around with her very proper English schoolgirl daughter who was kvetching that her new shoes were hurting her which resulted in thoughts about nannies and kids. I couldn’t sleep that night and called her then husband Peter Jacobson from London and told him I felt I had finally found the right vehicle to pitch to CBS: a spin on the ‘Sound of Music,’ but instead of Julie Andrews, I come to the door. We gave that one-liner to the development person " ‘Fran Drescher is the nanny from hell’ " and the rest is television history. WHAT PROJECTS ARE YOU CURRENTLY INVOLVED IN? I just produced a powerful ‘Cancer Schmancer Tea Party’ DVD filmed at my home in Malibu. It features all ages and races of women, thin to fat, to educate women about gynecological cancer and treatment. I’m developing a TV series for me and Rosie O’Donnell. And I’m writing a children’s book.
WHAT’S IMPORTANT FOR YOU IN 2008?
No new romance yet - but this is my year. I’ve just decided to achieve greater balance and am encouraging more of a lightness in myself. I want to enjoy romantic love again. I have Esther, an amazing brown Pomeranian dog who taught me about loving after loss. She’s so sweet, giving and loving, perfect for me at this stage of my life. Dee Long is a freelance journalist based in Van Nuys.
Preventive Measures
Cancer Schmancer (www.CancerSchmancer. org) offers health tips for women. Lifestyle choices that decrease cancer risk are:
¦ a diet rich in whole foods, fruits and vegetables;
¦ using condoms during sexual intercourse;
¦ limiting the number of sexual partners;
¦ regular exercise.
According to Cancer Schmancer, these are the eight known risk factors for gynecological cancers:
¦ smoking;
¦ being overweight;
¦ failing to get annual Pap smear tests;
¦ having a high-fat diet;
¦ family history of cancer;
¦ being 60 years of age or older;
¦ long-term hormone replacement (HRT) drug use;
¦ starting menstruation at an early age.
These are some of the warning signs of gynecological cancer:
¦ backache;
¦ pelvic pain or cramping;
¦ bloating even after eating small meals;
¦ abdominal swelling;
¦ loss of appetite or rapid weight gain;
¦ pain during intercourse or urination;
¦ unusual vaginal bleeding.
If any symptoms last longer than two weeks, see a doctor.
- DEE LONG