‘Chicago Med’ Actress Reveals Cancer Diagnosis, Phillies Dollar Hot Dog Night Leads to a Cancer Diagnosis and More

September 30, 2022
Brielle Benyon
Brielle Benyon

Brielle Benyon, Assistant Managing Editor for CURE®, has been with MJH Life Sciences since 2016. She has served as an editor on both CURE and its sister publication, Oncology Nursing News. Brielle is a graduate from The College of New Jersey. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, CrossFit and wishing she had the grace and confidence of her toddler-aged daughter.

From “Chicago Med” actress Marlyne Barrett announcing her gynecologic cancer diagnosis to a New York City-based news team walking in honor of their former news director who died of glioblastoma, a form of brain and spinal cord cancer, here’s what’s happening in the cancer space this week.

“Chicago Med” actress Marlyne Barrett revealed a gynecologic cancer diagnosis.

Barrett, who played charge nurse Maggie in the shows “Chicago Med,” “Chicago Fire” and “Chicago PD,” as well as Nerese Campbell in HBO’s “The Wire” revealed that doctors found a large tumor on her uterus and left ovary this summer.

After receiving the diagnosis on July 18, the actress underwent chemotherapy and then a hysterectomy (surgical removal of the uterus). “The best way I could experience (cancer) was to meet it,” Barrett told “People.” “There’s no running from it because it’s my life. And eventually you just surrender because it’s so much bigger than anything you’ve ever faced. I found this courage and just hunkered down and said, ‘I’m going to face this.’”

Barrett continued to work through her cancer treatment, portraying Maggie in “Chicago Med,”

a character who, coincidently, faced breast cancer in an earlier season of the show.

“When my character went through breast cancer, I had a sea of people reach out to me through social media. They brought me courage, and so I felt a sense of inevitability to meet their hearts where they met mine,” she said.

News station employees participated in a walk/run for the American Brain Tumor Association in honor of former news director Reham Aslam who died of glioblastoma.

Employees from WABC-TV — a New York City-based news station— participated in the BT 5K Breakthrough for Brain Tumors Run and Walk to raise money and awareness for brain cancer. Their participation was in honor of their late news director, Reham Aslam, who died this July, a year after receiving a glioblastoma diagnosis, and a few months after taking the job of news director at the station.

Glioblastoma is a type of brain cancer that is frequently located on or around the brain stem. After Aslam underwent surgery for the tumor in August 2021, WABC-TV’s evening anchor, Bill Ritter, said on social media that Aslam is “now in a wrestling match with the devil,” but is “brave and focused and he has hundreds of people surrounding him.”

A photography student documented his skin cancer through a series of Polaroid photos.

Everett Milloy, a 21-year-old photography student at Arizona State University, who said that he typically uses models for his photos, photographed a new model — himself.

In a series of 16 images, Milloy portrayed his experience with basal cell carcinoma — a type of skin cancer that is frequently caused by sun exposure — that was identified on his cheekbone.

“I can be in control of what happens to me,” Milloy told “12News.” “As an artist, I can make work as I’m going through something life-changing.”

Now Milloy, a competitive swimmer who said that he had frequent sun exposure, is sharing his story on social media and at his former high school to urge people to take care of their skin.

A dollar hot dog promotion at a Philadelphia Phillies game led to a man’s cancer diagnosis.

Last year, 37-year-old Bill Finn ate eight hot dogs over the course of nine innings at the Phillies final Hatfield Phillies Franks Dollar Dog Night of 2021.

The next morning, he woke up with chest pains that he and his family initially laughed off as a result of the prior evening’s hot dog binge. But when the pain continued for days on end, Finn sought out medical attention and eventually received a diagnosis of stage 4 diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Finn started chemotherapy on Nov. 12 — only five days after the birth of his son, Ryker.

Now Finn said that he is doing well; the Phillies invited him and his family to the final Hatfield Phillies Franks Dollar Dog Night of 2022. “We could not wait to meet Bill and his family and to hopefully provide them with a memorable night at the ballpark. Bill’s incredible story that coincides with one of our fans’ favorite promotions is one that is so much bigger than the game of baseball,” TJ Farrell, the Phillies community and charity events coordinator told “Beyond the Bell.”

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