Pam Grier is one of the baddest actresses to have ever done it during the ’70s era of Black films. Her heroic characters represented many elements of a strong woman- she was tough as hell and could defend herself at all costs, she was independent, and of course incredibly sexy. Little did most “Foxy Brown” fans know though, she was also once hit with a health diagnosis that’s enough to bring any strong person- male or female- to their knees.
In an interview with Black Doctor, Pam described the time when her doctors told her she only had 18 months to live, after being diagnosed with cervical cancer and how she beat the odds.
Grier Describes The Trauma Of Her Diagnosis
Grier was 30 years old when she went for a routine cervical smear and her doc’ later called her to let her know abnormal cells were found in her cervix. After that, everything became a whirlwind of shocking revelations. She had surgery to remove the abnormal tissue from her cervix and was under the impression that everything was resolved. However, soon after surgery, her doctor called with more bad news:
“They couldn’t operate or start treatment for another six weeks, as I’d already had surgery and my body had gone through so much trauma. They gave me only 16-18 months to live and was told to start preparing for treatment and to organize my will. I coped from minute to minute. I went home to ponder this 2inch-thick folder [of information] they give you.”
Abandoned After Diagnosis
Pam Grier also said that once she told her boyfriend and loved ones she’d been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, she felt abandoned:
…Her boyfriend at the time didn’t turn up for her first session of chemotherapy….“He didn’t come. He just abandoned me and I didn’t see him for another five years,” she says, without a hint of self-pity. “In 1988 the C-word meant: ‘Oh my God, you’re going to die. There is no hope.’ You learn who your friends are when you have cancer.”
How Pam Grier Overcame Stage 4 Cancer
Pam beat stage 4 cervical cancer with chemotherapy and Chinese herbal treatments that she say included Chinese practices that “taught me to drink hot tea with my food to get rid of toxins.” She’s been in remission for decades now and here’s what else she said has healed her:
Via AARP: “I saw this documentary Healing and the Mind With Bill Moyers, and it saved my life. I was at my rented house in the Valley [San Fernando Valley] one night, contemplating what my process was going to be, when it came on PBS. Moyers was visiting shamans and witch doctors and practitioners of wellness all over the world. One episode was in China, where this woman had a malignant tumor on her back, which flattens out after weeks of therapy with acupuncture and pressure and herbs and meditation. The cancer was gone and that was my sign. Literally, that night I said I would seek Eastern medicine.
I know where every Chinatown in every city is in this country. So I know where I can get herb teas and dong guai and all kinds of other roots and things I’m supposed to have as a woman to balance my chi. All I know is I followed the spiritual advice I got, and I feel much better today.”
Grier says that although she’s healed, staying cancer-free is a “lifelong process.” She now follows the green method of living, one “based on the environment – fresh well-water from the ground, fresh air, trees and plants, and wild animals,” said Grier. WOW! Continued blessings to Pam Grier on her incredible journey.
