Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, have taken on new roles in the Hollywood arena—celebrity advocates in the battle against breast cancer.
They recently attended an event for the Women’s Cancer Research Fund, accompanied by friend and fellow celeb, Jason Derulo. Like Tom and Rita, Jason Derulo is no stranger to the effects that breast cancer can have on a family, saying:
“Breast cancer runs in my family. I don’t even like to say it like that because I don’t even want to speak it more into existence, but it’s affected a lot of women in my family, and a cause that affects people that are close to you, they always tend to be the ones you care about most.”
After the couple first announced that Rita was diagnosed with breast cancer two years ago, the actress and singer underwent a double mastectomy and reconstruction surgery to irradiate the cancer.
Tom and Rita have credited prayer as the success to their 30 years of marriage. They’ve also spoken openly about how faith “saved their family,” especially in the midst of Rita battling breast cancer.
“We watched movies, we watched great documentaries, we ate good food and we did our best to maintain our spirit and be thankful,” she said.
Tom added that they fought through her diagnosis as though they were waiting out a storm, saying, “You just clear the decks and you circle the wagons and you join the community and you hunker down.” He continued, “It’s like when there’s a big rainstorm outside, you bust out the hot cocoa and make sure everyone is comfortable.”
Rita also says that her battle with cancer brought her and Tom closer than ever.
“You never know how your spouse is going to react in a situation like this. I was so amazed, so blown away by the care my husband gave me. It was such a normal, intimate time.”
