Actress Marlyne Barrett, 44, who plays nurse Maggie Lockwood on “Chicago Med”, has revealed she has been silently battling cancer found in her uterus and left ovary. “I’m an extremely private person, but I felt a responsibility to tell my story,” she told People magazine.
The mother of 11-month-old twins, Barrett was diagnosed in July when doctors found a football-sized tumor. She had been feeling unwell for the past few months after treating a hernia. As she describes it, it was a strange accumulation of water in her abdomen that made her look as if she were pregnant.
“The initial experience was a shock, a shock to my femininity,” she said of the diagnosis. “I didn’t believe them [nos médicos], but when they showed me the CT scan, I said, ‘Oh my God. The first question was: ‘Am I going to live?’ I still get breathless when I think about it.”
Barrett has undergone two rounds of aggressive chemotherapy and is preparing for a third, all the while working. She claims to have a lot of support from the team, with cases including people who shaved their heads to show support. She also takes naps in between recordings and takes occasional breaks.
“Work brings me a lot of joy. It’s a relief to think about something other than ‘when is my next chemotherapy?'”, says the actress, who recalled the moment she shaved her hair in front of her children so they wouldn’t be surprised afterwards. “I find new strength to carry on everyday because of them. I want to see them get married one day. And I will.”
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