Dealing With Mother’s Trauma, Nicole Kidman, 56, Learned Massage Therapy To Care for Her Mom During Breast Cancer

Managing Side Effects of Breast Cancer Surgery

• Actress Nicole Kidman, 56, was deeply impacted by her mom’s breast cancer during her teenage years. She dropped out of high school to become a master masseuse to help her mom’s post-surgery therapy as a masseuse.
• Massage therapy (lymphatic draining massage) among breast cancer patients is beneficial for women dealing with lymphedema or chronic swelling that may follow surgery or radiation treatment.
• Lymphedema occurs when the lymph vessels that channel fluid throughout the body are impaired and cannot dispose of the fluid effectively. The fluid build-up and swelling impact the arm and hand on the same side as the treated breast.
• Research published in The Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine studied the psychological impact of disease on family members. It was found that “Most chronic diseases have similar effects on family members [as they do on the patient], including psychological and emotional functioning, disruption of leisure activities, effect on interpersonal relationships, and financial resources.”

Actress Nicole Kidman, 56, may be widely known for her role in “Moulin Rouge” as Satine, but years earlier, she billed herself as a master masseuse. At 17, she dropped out of high school to learn the craft so she could help her cash-strapped family and her mom, who was battling breast cancer at the time, recover from surgery.

“When I was younger, I would sit in the hospital and wait for my mom to finish work, where I saw a lot of people battling for their lives with cancer and terrible injuries," Kidman explaine d to Glamour. "As a child, I was like, 'This is awful.' But that’s a really good thing, as I've always been able to step through into other worlds and put myself into a position of gratitude and the desire to go and help,” Kidman continued. While specific details of Kidman’s mom’s breast cancer diagnosis remain unclear, Kidman told U.K.-based news outlet The Standard that her mom battled advanced breast cancer. Kidman quit North Sydney Girls High School in her native Australia to provide massages to her mom, which helped cut down on therapy costs. Years later, she would return to school to complete high school and go on to college before becoming a mega Hollywood star. “As a daughter, it was my way of helping her through the most traumatic time for us as a family. It’s a beautiful thing to be able to give,” Kidman said . Kidman’s mom is now considered cancer-free after undergoing treatment.

Massage therapy among breast cancer patients is beneficial for women dealing with lymphedema or chronic swelling that may follow surgery or radiation treatment. “Lymphedema is a disorder in which the lymph fluid—which is interstitial fluid that leaks out from our tissue continuously—cannot recirculate properly and stays stagnant in the tissue,” Dr. Dung Nguyen , Direct of Breast Reconstruction at the Stanford Women’s Cancer Center explains to SurvivorNet. Lymphedema occurs when the lymph vessels that channel fluid throughout the body are impaired and cannot dispose of the fluid effectively. The fluid build-up and swelling impact the arm and hand on the same side as the treated breast. “Over time, lymphedema can spread onto the chest wall as well. It's not a dangerous, life-threatening condition. But we do know that it is a progressive disease without a cure at the moment; it can negatively impact the patients' function and quality of lifelong term,” Dr. Nguyen continued. Lymphatic drainage massage is a helpful way to manage lymphedema. It helps move the built-up lymph fluid to reduce the swelling. Research published in Medicine in 2020 says, “Studies have shown that manual lymphatic draining has a beneficial effect on lymphedema related to breast cancer surgery.”

Why Having Support Matters

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Managing an Often-overlooked Side Effect of Breast Cancer Surgery

There is no cure for lymphedema. However, the condition can be managed. It is essential patients are educated on this possible breast cancer surgery side effect and get treatment as soon as possible if they experience lymphedema. “We have surgical options as well as non-surgical options that help to control the progression of the disease. When a patient presents with stage 0, they typically would start out with conservative therapy. Which would include physiotherapy and compression garments,” Dr. Nguyen explains. Dr. Nguyen says that as lymphedema symptoms become more severe, more invasive measures, including surgery, can be employed to manage them. There are four stages, with treatment options ranging from compression garments, physiotherapy, and exercise to different surgery methods, including lymph node transfer and a technique called lymphovenous bypass. WATCH: Treating Lymphedema “In patients who present with severe lymphedema, stage 3 lymphedema, the first approach is to debulk the dense fiber fatty tissue that has built up. We do this using a technique called dry liposuction-- where the tissue is extracted from the extremity using a suction device,” Dr. Nguyen said. Recovery from one of the more invasive procedures can take up to a year.

Cancer’s Impact on the Family

Kidman noted how her mom’s cancer journey affected their family. Research published in The Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine studied the impact of disease on family members. The researchers found that: “Most chronic diseases have similar effects on family members [as they do on the patient], including psychological and emotional functioning, disruption of leisure activities, effect on interpersonal relationships, and financial resources.” Feelings of “helplessness, lack of control, anger, embarrassment” are some common emotions parents, siblings, and other relatives within the household of someone battling a health condition may experience, according to researchers. Other ways a disease, for example, may impact the lives of family members include:

• Affecting sleep
• Concerns about medical treatment
• Altered food choices
• Using religion, spiritual, and cultural beliefs to cope
• Concerns about understanding the disease or illness
• Needing support from others
• Limited freedom
• Worrying about the death of a loved one

Our experts agree that forming a solid support system can help everyone in the family cope with the challenges a diagnosis can bring. These situations can be opportunities to strengthen families and bring them closer together. WATCH: How to talk to your children about your diagnosis.

How to Support a Loved One Facing a Health Challenge

If you have a loved one fighting a disease or cancer, SurvivorNet has some ideas to help you better support them. Simple tasks like helping with household chores or running errands can do wonders for your loved one who’s diagnosed. These tasks can make all the difference in relieving stress when the effect of chemotherapy brings on fatigue, for example. Other ideas to help your loved one battling cancer include cooking, bringing prepared meals, or doing an activity you enjoy together. The support helps put your loved one battling a disease or cancer more at ease, which may be filled with anxiety after a diagnosis or amid intense treatment. “There are a number of common things cancer patients can experience,” Dr. Shelly Tworoger , a researcher at Moffitt Cancer Center, told SurvivorNet. “Anxiety, depression, financial toxicity, social isolation, and PTSD,” Dr. Tworoger said, are all emotions cancer warriors may experience and can be eased by loved ones. If you are a caregiver of your loved one facing a diagnosis, it is important to maintain your own mental and physical health as well. “Caregiving is the most important job in the universe because you are there through the highs and lows,” Julie Bulger , manager of patient and family-centered care at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, told SurvivorNet. Caregivers must also watch out for “ caregiver burnout ,” where stress, anger, fatigue, and illness emerge from putting another person’s needs ahead of their own. Caregivers who find themselves struggling to care for a cancer warrior should seek out a therapist or a support group of their own, either online or in person.