Giuliana

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA -  I don’t know her. Don’t. I’d love to meet her sometime (after her mastectomy) and just give her a hug and say: "Thanks for putting such a lovely face to this stupid disease. Sorry you had to join the club, honey." But at this juncture, we’ve not met.

She is, of course, Giuliana Rancic, the poised, lovely, glamorous superstar who has breast cancer and is about to go into surgery for said cancer. She and her husband, Bill (don’t know him, either) are on television and I can see why. Look at them for pete’s sake. They are spectacular. Add to their appearance that they are smart, witty and world travelers? Of course they are tv stars .

I find something endlessly amusing about this – NOT that she has cancer; but that I always get calls and emails after a celebrity diagnosis. HEIDI – you should call Giuliana Rancic. She was just diagnosed. Her husband has a house where you used to live. So call her.

We don’t all know each other, we cancer patients. While I think every patient and survivor I meet are spectacular, I can speak for them and say they don’t know movie star cancer patients, either. Nonetheless, however, I would like to say this: we are sorry. Sorry that you have cancer. Sorry you know what it feels like to hear that. So many of us feel for you, want to reach out and hug you, want to make meals for your family, drive you to chemo, hold your hand, read you stories, all those things. We feel like you are part of our family simply because you inhabit our televisions and a bit of our hearts. I’m sorry that we can’t tell you how much we feel the same things you are feeling. 

We are here for you, should you need us. An entire fleet of fans who would do just about anything you ask for help while you go through this. I know this for a fact, because many of the people I meet do this all the time for other patients. It’s a good world out there, Giuliana, and we are just happy you are part of it. You are in our thoughts and prayers. 

Photo Credit: NBC's Today Show