‘Chicago Med’ Star Marlyne Barrett Shares Cancer Diagnosis
Chicago Med star Marlyne Barrett has revealed to her fans that she was diagnosed with uterine and ovarian cancer over the summer.
Barrett shared with PEOPLE on Tuesday (Sept. 27) details of the timeline of her diagnosis that was confirmed in July before sharing a photo on her Instagram.
“In April, I had a hernia repaired. So initially, it was supposed to be a three-month recovery and I was going to be fine. And something started happening where I had this accumulation of fluid that I couldn’t shake,” she said.
“I was definitely concerned that something was going on but I trucked on with the work,” she continued. “So by the time I went to see the doctor, they were very concerned. And when they did the CT scan, they found that I had an ovarian and uterine mass that had grown quite possibly to the size of a football.”
Barrett’s diagnosis strikes even closer to her fans since her character Nurse Maggie Lockwood, where she battled breast cancer during a recent season of the show. In one episode, Barrett’s Lockwood was undergoing chemotherapy and removed her wig to show her shaved head.
“I felt the responsibility to tell the story,” she shared, speaking about the season and episode. “I think that we as human beings when things like this happen, we hide away. We’re scared to tell people about it. We’re scared to face the mortality of life. We’re scared to pronounce the word ‘cancer.’ We’re nervous to share that when we have so much more strength than we think. I’ve had people shave their heads on set to support me.”
According to Deadline Barrett is currently shooting Season 8 of Chicago Med.
