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Marcia Cross, 57, best known for her work on Desperate Housewives, has been open and honest about her anal cancer diagnosis. The good news is that she announced last September that she’s healthy and in recovery after receiving treatment. She’s now working to raise awareness and reduce the stigma around anal cancer. In an interview with CBS this Morning, Marcia reveals that both her cancer and her husband’s throat cancer have been caused by HPV, a very common sexually transmitted virus for which there is now a vaccine. HPV is also the main cause of cervical cancer. Here’s what she told CBS, you can see that interview on YouTube below:

Why she wants to talk about it
I know that there are people who feel ashamed. You have cancer, do you also have to feel ashamed because it took up residence in your anus? Really there’s enough on your plate.

How would Bree would handle the diagnosis?
She wouldn’t have told a soul. Many people [are like that]. Breaks my heart.

Her annual rectal exam saved her life
Lots of things in life are not fun. You can bear it.

She has a supportive group of friends
I have a bevy of girlfriends. I call them my anal angels. I kept saying if this doesn’t kill me it’s the best thing that could have ever happened because the experience of being loved like that blew my mind.

How she feels now
I feel back to normal. I don’t think I’ll ever take it for granted. I’m the girls who goes to the bathroom now [and] I’m so grateful.

[From CBS This Morning via People]

HPV can be spread sexually and through skin to skin contact. In 2009 Marcia’s husband, stockbroker Tom Mahony, was diagnosed with throat cancer and underwent treatment. I think he’s in remission now but they didn’t specify. On CBS they mentioned that the same type of HPV that gave Tom throat cancer can also cause anal cancer. They stopped short of claiming that both their cancers were caused by the same strain, but it was implied that they’re related. Marcia and Tom have twin 12-year-old daughters, Eden and Savannah, and Marcia told CNN that she was so grateful to have been alive to see them graduate. They’re scheduled to get their first HPV vaccination soon. The HPV vaccine can prevent this kind of cancer, but they mentioned on CBS that only 50% of adolescents are getting it. My son got this vaccination recently. His doctor highly recommended it after having seen two cases of men with throat cancer from HPV. F-k cancer and get vaccinated. Also get pelvic and rectal exams every year. One saved Marcia Cross’s life.

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Just trying to get people educated on things that matter!! #HPV #AnalCancer …. Repost from @dearmarciacross using @RepostRegramApp – She is our brave hero!! Good morning, hero!!!! ???? #myhero #love #analcancer #marciacross

A post shared by reallymarcia (@reallymarcia) on Jun 8, 2019 at 5:16pm PDT

photos credit: Getty, WENN and via Instagram