TORONTO — Canadian actress Cobie Smulders has revealed she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer when she was 25.
“I had tumors on both ovaries,” the Vancouver native, now 33, told Women’s Health. “And the cancer had spread into my lymph nodes and surrounding tissues.”
Radiation and chemotherapy were not possible due to the location of the cancer, so Smulders said she had multiple surgeries over a period of two years to remove the cancerous tissue.
She was left with one-third of an ovary and doctors told her she would likely never conceive naturally — yet she got pregnant with daughter, Shaelyn.
Smulders and SNL star Taran Killam, whom she married in 2012, welcomed a son earlier this year.
“I don’t think I’ll ever feel like I’m cancer-free,” the actress told the magazine, which features Smulders topless on the cover.
Smulders said she hopes to help create awareness about ovarian cancer.
Smulders starred on How I Met Your Mother, which ended its run last year, and can be seen in next month’s The Avengers: Age of Ultron.
Smulders said having cancer changed her.
“Like, you know what? I’m just going to do things. I’m just going to take advantage of life and enjoy myself and not get so stressed out,” she explained.
“And that’s been my mentality ever since.”
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