Marlyne Barrett, who stars in the NBC medical drama Chicago Med, has opened up about her battle with uterine and ovarian cancer.
She is currently having treatment for the disease while continuing to work on the show.
Barrett confirmed the news in an interview with People, saying that in July doctors found a tumor the size of a football on her uterus and left ovary and that she thought it was necessary to tell her story because her character, Maggie, also fought cancer on Chicago Med.
Marlyne Barrett said, “I’m a very private person, but I felt obligated to relate my tale.” “A flood of people reached out to me on social media when my character was diagnosed with breast cancer.
They gave me strength, and I knew I had to return the favor by meeting them in their hearts.”
When asked why people were so reluctant to talk about death, she said, “We as human beings are so terrified to even speak the term cancer.” But we have a lot more fortitude within us than we give ourselves credit for.
Barrett went on to explain that she has been filming Chicago Med during her treatment, thanks in large part to the support of the cast and crew, many members of which have shaved their heads in solidarity with her.
“She went on to say, “Right now, work offers me a lot of joy,” so she begins her day an hour early to settle in.
Having something to focus on besides “When is my next chemo shift?
” and “How am I going to hug my children?” is a welcome relief.”
Chicago Med, developed by Dick Wolf and Matt Olmstead, is the third edition in Wolf Entertainment’s Chicago franchise and centers on the fictional doctors and nurses working in the emergency room of the Gaffney Chicago Medical Center.
Season 8 has just begun for the show that premiered in 2015.