Gary
Barg: You were dealing with
your father and his colorectal
cancer at an early age, and you’ve
been active in getting people to
think about preventing that disease.
Are they listening to you?
Donna Mills:
Well, I think they are listening
more and more. From what I
understand, the colonoscopy
procedure is being done a lot more
now. Maybe I’ve had something to do
with it, but certainly Katie Couric
has had a lot to do with motivating
people, because her husband died of
colorectal cancer. People also know
that the polyps which are
pre-cancerous can be removed and
then you’ll never get the cancer, so
it’s a preventative thing to do,
too. I’ve had this procedure done,
and it’s nothing. They put you out
under a light anesthetic, and it
doesn’t hurt. They’ve made great
strides in what they can do for you
now. My father had it many years
ago, and he had to have a critical
operation to remove a large portion
of his intestines. He had a long
life after that, but it was a major
procedure.
GB: Were you
involved at all with caregiving for
him?
DM: I was
young—around 12. But I do remember
he was laid up for quite a while. He
was in the hospital for a long time
and then at home in bed for a while
afterwards. My mother cared for him;
it was difficult to do, but they
were both grateful that the doctors
had removed all the cancer.
GB: Lately
you’ve been an advocate for people
living with arthritis. How did you
first discover you had the disease?
DM: After
playing tennis, I’d be very stiff
and it had gotten so that it was
really hard for me to serve because
it was in my shoulder; and it got so
that I couldn’t pick up my daughter.
You know, I used to think that I had
overdone it in tennis, or that I had
injured myself; but when it didn’t
go away, I figured it was something
else and that’s what sent me to the
doctor.
GB: How would
you encourage caregivers and their
loved ones to go see the doctor?
DM: First of
all, they don’t have to live with
pain. Pain isn’t necessarily a part
of growing old. It just doesn’t have
to be that way. If you or your loved
one has joints that are painful and
tired, go to your doctor. A
caregiver can tell their loved one
that there is hope, that something
can be done. Years ago, arthritis
was something you just had to live
with. Now you don’t have to. You
don’t have to think, “Well, I have
to go to the doctor, and there’ll be
a big doctor’s bill, and nothing’s
going to happen.”
