American comedian Kathy Griffin said on Monday that she had been diagnosed with lung cancer although she has never been a smoker.
Griffin, 60, said in social media postings that she would undergo surgery to remove part of a lung, and that doctors were optimistic about the outcome. “I have cancer. I’m about to go into surgery to have half of my left lung removed. Yes, I have lung cancer even though I’ve never smoked!” Griffin wrote.
According to the CDC, about 10 to 20 percent of lung cancers in the U.S. happen in people who never smoked or smoked fewer than 100 cigarettes in their lifetime.
“The doctors are very optimistic as it is stage one and contained to my left lung,” she added. “Hopefully no chemo or radiation after this, and I should have normal function with my breathing.
Griffin, a two-time Emmy winner, has been out of the spotlight since 2017, when she lost jobs and sponsorships after posing with a fake severed head depicting former U.S. President Donald Trump in what was intended to be a joke.
“It’s been a helluva 4 years trying to get back to work, making you guys laugh and entertaining you, but I’m going to be just fine,” her post continued.
The Secret Service opened an investigation into the incident but no legal action was taken against Griffin.
As a result of the controversy, she began battling a painkiller addiction and even attempted suicide. “Whether I like it or not, I think I’m a resilient survivor,” she said in an interview with ABC News last week.
“The irony is not lost on me that, a little over a year ago, all I wanted to do was die. And now, all I wanna do is live,” she said.
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
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