Jung Ae-ri: "Fought ovarian cancer, hair fell out in clumps... even shaved it all off in the bathroom" [Star Issue]

*This content was translated by AI.

Actress Jung Ae-ri recalled her difficult battle with ovarian cancer.

On the 9th, Jung Ae-ri appeared as a guest on the YouTube channel "Song Seung-hwan's Wonderful Life."

Jung Ae-ri revealed the process of discovering her ovarian cancer.

She said, "At that time, I was working on the drama and play 'My Mother-in-Law.' I was also doing dubbing and recording for another World Vision project, and while reviewing the recording script, I felt extremely unwell."

She added, "During the performance of 'My Mother-in-Law,' I lost some weight and felt weak. I had a fever, so I thought it might just be exhaustion from being an actress. I told myself I'd have to pull myself together once I stepped on stage. But when I got home, my stomach hurt so badly I couldn't move."

Jung Ae-ri, who visited the hospital at the time, was diagnosed with peritonitis. She explained, "It was 24 hours after my appendix burst before I could undergo surgery. I almost died. I was on the verge of sepsis. They said my abdomen was filled with pus."

Just as Jung Ae-ri was about to receive discharge instructions after her peritonitis surgery, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer cells. She revealed, "The doctor told me, 'You'll need to change hospitals.' He advised me to go to the 'Cancer Center Gynecology Department.' He said ovarian cancer cells had been detected."

Recalling that time, she said, "I suddenly became an ovarian cancer patient." She added, "They told me clear cell carcinoma is one of the more difficult types of ovarian cancer. During treatment, I decided to live as a good patient. I followed the doctor's instructions. I didn't want to learn more because the more I knew, the more scared I'd become."

She revealed she underwent chemotherapy for several months. She said, "They told me women's cancers always cause hair loss. At the time, I had long hair. I thought losing long hair would be better, so I got a short haircut. After the first round of chemotherapy, my hair didn't fall out at all until the second round. I wondered, 'Could this be a miracle for me?' But it didn't happen. Unlike what we expect, even with short hair, the sensation of hair falling out was completely different. It fell out in clumps, making it obvious."

She continued, "Even though my hair was short, I didn't want to face it falling out patchily. That day, I called my regular hairdresser and asked them to come to my house. I had them shave it all off right in my bathroom."

Jung Ae-ri also revealed, "Hair loss from chemotherapy occurs because the peripheral nerves weaken, causing hair follicles to fall out. Even my eyebrows fell out completely. So I asked them to tattoo my eyebrows so only traces would remain."

She also mentioned there were many other hardships from chemotherapy. She said, "I didn't lose toenails or anything like that, but my feet had side effects. At night, when I tried to sleep, my feet were uncomfortable and painful. It felt like sand had been poured inside, or like my own foot skin had been placed there. I couldn't describe how uncomfortable and painful it was."

Regarding her ovarian cancer surgery, she said, "They performed a very long open surgery. Since they didn't know where the clear cell carcinoma was located, they had to examine everything thoroughly, which is why the surgery took so long." She added, "As a result, my back wouldn't straighten. The nurse told me it might not straighten easily, so I tried walking back and forth while forcing my back to straighten."

Jung Ae-ri confessed, "I didn't want to keep going to the hospital. But when they said, 'That's enough. You can be discharged. Take good care of yourself at home,' I felt fear: 'Do I have to do this alone?' 'What should I do?'"

Meanwhile, Jung Ae-ri was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2016. She has since been cured and has recovered her health.

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*This content was translated by AI.