David Livingston/Getty ImagesSmash actress Krysta Rodriguez, 30, has revealed that she has been battling breast cancer and talks about her diagnosis and treatments in an inspiring and honest post on a new blog she has created, ChemoCouture, which she has dedicated to fellow patients.
The TV and Broadway star, who played "diva" theater performer Ana Vargas, roommate of Katharine McPhee's Karen, on the NBC show during its second and final season in 2013, said she was diagnosed just over four months ago.
"On September 24, 2014 at age 30, I was diagnosed with stage 2B ductal carcinoma: in-situ and invasive. Fancy words for breast cancer," she writes in her post, titled "It's a Whole Long Boob Story" and published on Thursday. "Now as far as cancer goes, I have the Cadillac of tumors. It's slow growing, highly treatable and not really interested in spreading. My doctor calls it an 'old lady cancer.' I always knew I was ahead of my time!"
"Picture a lump sitting in a BarcaLounger eating Cheetos and enjoying the warm, cozy studio apartment I've been providing for it on Left Breast Lane," she adds. "No one would want to leave that, am I right? Well, sorry buddy. I'm the landlord from hell and it's eviction time."
After she published her post, fellow Broadway performer and former Smash co-star Jeremy Jordan tweeted a message of support to his "incredible friend."
Everyone go cheer on my incredible friend @KRYSTAR0DRIGUEZ as she kicks cancer's ass!! http://t.co/wX8WUD43is love this amazing girl
? Jeremy Jordan (@JeremyMJordan) February 19, 2015Rodriguez is undergoing chemotherapy, whose side effects include hair loss.
"I'm an actress. I make my living with my appearance to some degree. So being confronted with the idea of my whole body changing has been a tough one," Rodriguez wrote. "Oh, and for the record, telling me how beautiful Natalie Portman looked with a shaved head or sending me pics of a waify Anne Hathaway is not helping. They do not have cancer. They do not have the nausea, bone pain or paralysis. They are not struggling to feel like themselves at every moment of the day. They just look really good with a buzz cut."
Chemotherapy can also cause damage in ovaries of female patients. So Rodriguez is freezing her eggs, a fertility treatment she calls "The Great Harvest of 2014."
Rodriguez's new blog is "dedicated to all things fun and fashion, while being focused on the specific needs of those women going through chemo."
"I desire to feel as great as I can during this time,' she writes. "I still want to be sexy, to take risks, to challenge what even I view as beautiful. So I'm pulling out all the stops. This is not time to bust out a beanie and hide. I'm going to try to live as loudly as I can. Cancer is not just an old person's game anymore. There are many young, vibrant and fashion loving women out there who want to look their best, even when we're feeling like crap."
"2015 is my year with cancer," she says. "Might as well make it a beautiful one!"
She also talked about her illness while appearing on fellow Broadway star and BFF Kirsten Wyatt's online cooking show To Nosh or Not to Nosh.
"It happened," she said. "It's gonna be super time. I'm gonna get brand new...boobies."
"Are you gonna make 'em bigger?" Wyatt asked.
"Lil bit," Rodriguez replied.
"But because of that, I've had to make some changes to my diet," she continued. "No sugar, no dairy, no wheat, no soy, no beans."
Watch them make a healthy cauliflower dish below.
Rodriguez later took to Twitter to thank fans for their support.
The amount of love I feel is overwhelming. Thank you all for your support and for those have shared their stories. I'm so grateful!
? krysta rodriguez (@KRYSTAR0DRIGUEZ) February 19, 2015The amount of people I have to thank is endless but my phone is gonna die and #chemomakesmesleepy so I'm out.
? krysta rodriguez (@KRYSTAR0DRIGUEZ) February 19, 2015