Somers to Applegate: "Use Your Cancer to Grow"

Suzanne Somers on Monday sent an open letter to Christina Applegate, who announced earlier this month that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Somers, 61, was diagnosed with the disease in 2001.In her letter, she tells the 36-year-old Samantha Who? star, "Use your cancer to learn and grow and as a force to work for you," and offers her perspective:Dear Christina, Cancer is scary, and lonely. You can't ask anyone to make decisions for you because it's just too heavy. There is a lot of 'rush to treatment,' when what you really need is time to research and think about how you want to approach this. Take your time Christina, there is no rush. Take your time and think it through. Use your cancer to learn and grow and as a force to work for you. You might choose to take an alternative approach. There are more options than the ones presented to you in the oncologist's office. You will make it. The success and drive you have had in your career will be the same strengths you will use ...

TV GuideNews Aug. 12, 2008 at 12:59 a.m. PT