What Cobie Smulders Wants You to Know About Ovarian Cancer
When Cobie Smulders was 25, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer . . . but until now, the world never knew. The actress had been filming How I Met Your Mother season three when doctors discovered her frightening condition, and she spent the next two years secretly fighting a battle for her health. Now, she is sharing her story with Women's Health magazine in hopes that she can help spread awareness about the disease.
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"I had tumors on both ovaries," Smulders told the mag about the experience, "and the cancer had spread into my lymph nodes and surrounding tissues." After several surgeries, the cancerous tissue was finally removed . . . but the battle stayed with her.
"I don't think I'll ever feel like I'm cancer-free," the actress said of her recovery. "Now that I'm five years out, I'm trying to think of it as a positive thing and what can I learn from it. And if I can create more awareness, I'll do it." Knowledge about ovarian cancer symptoms is the first step to this awareness.
Thankfully, the Avengers actress is in great health these days — happily married and a new mom, Smulders actually shot the Women's Health cover a mere two months after childbirth! Read the rest of her intimate interview in the May issue, which is on newsstands now.