복막염인 줄 알았던 일상, 그 끝에서 마주한 난소암이라는 이름의 폭풍 > K-wave Trends

Jeong Ae-ri’s illness began suddenly with unexpected abdominal pain. At the time, she was working on a non-stop schedule, including dramas and plays, and stayed on set by suppressing the pain with Tylenol, dismissing any abnormal signals her body was sending as a decline in stamina. However, one night, the pain was so severe that I couldn't move my body, and I ended up having to take an ambulance to the hospital. Medical staff diagnosed her condition as critically ill, on the verge of sepsis due to peritonitis. Fortunately, the emergency surgery was successful, but the words from the medical staff just before discharge, “You need to change departments,” were like an unexpected sentence that shook her life completely.

A biopsy taken during peritonitis surgery showed that ovarian cancer cells were present in her body. For her, who thought she would simply treat the inflammation and return to her daily life, the diagnosis of ovarian cancer came as a surprise, but instead of breaking down, she thought of her responsibilities as an actress first. In order to avoid as much damage as possible to the work being filmed, he showed his professionalism by starting full-scale cancer treatment only after completing the remaining schedule. This is a passage that goes beyond simply her professionalism as an actress and shows her strong will to fight the disease, as she tried to calm herself down and do what she had to do even in the face of life's hardships.

The chemotherapy process was a series of unbearable pain both physically and mentally. Especially for female cancer patients, hair loss, which is a serious wound, was an unavoidable reality for her. When her hair began to fall out, one by one, she decided to shave her head rather than watch and suffer. The feeling I felt at the time when I was shaving my hair in the bathroom at home would probably remain as an unforgettable pain for the rest of my life. She also confessed that during treatment, she felt pain as if sand had been put in the soles of her feet, which clearly shows how deep and sharp the physical pain she must experience during the cancer treatment process is.

Nevertheless, Jeong Ae-ri chose to completely trust the medical staff's prescriptions and instructions rather than being swayed by medical knowledge. Even during chemotherapy, she trained herself for recovery by constantly walking down the hospital hallways to prevent the open surgery area from hardening. He strictly followed the diet and healthy lifestyle recommended by the medical staff and endured daily pain with the sole goal of a complete cure. This thorough self-management and positive attitude ultimately became the driving force behind overcoming the huge mountain of ovarian cancer, and now, eight years later, it has become the foundation for her to be able to stand in front of the public again in good health.