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In her first interview since undergoing breast-cancer treatment, actress Maura Tierney, 45, talked to the New York Times about the months following her unnerving diagnosis in June 2009.
Tierney, who had been lined up to star in NBC's Parenthood, dropped out of the series (and was replaced by Lauren Graham) when she was informed last summer that she had breast cancer.
As the Times reports, Tierney underwent surgery in July to remove a tumor, and she began chemotherapy treatment in the fall, which dramatically altered her appearance: she lost her brunette locks, and now has short salt-and-pepper hair (she declined to be photographed for the piece.)
While Tierney (a veteran of the hit series ER and Newsradio) couldn't commit to Parenthood in the end, she seized an opportunity to appear on stage in New York City, as flirty Cpl. Nurse Jane Babcock in the military-themed comedy North Atlantic. The actress admits that while it wasn't an easy decision to make, for her state of mind and body, it was necessary one. "I felt terrible leaving the Parenthood team in the lurch, but doing the show would have been very stressful because I didn’t want that phase of my life documented on film," she said, adding, "There is no HD in the theater."
Tierney called her theater role "a much better fit for me last fall than television." And Kate Valk, one of Tierney's North Atlantic costars, said Tierney's determination was inspiring. “I said to Maura once in January that I found it so moving, the fact that she was working with us,” Valk said. “And she said, ‘You don’t know how grateful I am to have this play to come to.’"
Plus:
- Tennis Great Martina Navratilova Has Breast Cancer
- PHOTOS: They're Survivors: Celebrities Who've Overcome Breast Cancer
- Maura Tierney Returns to TV After Battling Breast Cancer
- iVillage Support for Family & Friends of Cancer Patients
Do you know anyone who had to change their career plans after a major medical diagnosis? Chime in below!
