Kate Walsh Wants You to Get Screened for Cancer

Fans of “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Private Practice” know Kate Walsh as surgeon-extraordinaire Dr. Addison Forbes Montgomery. But the actress has also dealt with some tough health issues off camera, including both of her parents having cancer.

So, when Walsh learned about a new blood test that can screen for cancer before symptoms even appear, she wanted to be part of the innovation. “It’s really about spreading awareness, and for me, if I had a parent that was still alive, I would have them take this test,” Walsh said.

Walsh has partnered with the healthcare company, ThisGRAIL Inc., on Generation Possible — an educational campaign to raise awareness about multi-cancer early detection (MCED) testing. “It’s science that wasn’t available before — that’s why it’s Generation Possible,” Walsh said. “And to have this access is incredible, so I encourage everyone to check it out and see if it’s right for them.”

While MCED testing doesn’t diagnose cancer, it can be used along with other screening tests for people who are at higher risk for cancer because of a family history or other risk factors. The blood test, which must be ordered by a healthcare provider and isn’t covered by insurance at this time, screens for a signal shared by more than 50 different types of cancer — many that don’t have recommended screening tests. If a signal is detected, the test predicts where it’s coming from.

We talked to Walsh about MCED testing and the importance of advocating for your health.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

​Why is it important for you to be part of Generation Possible?

This is something no other generation has had before. A simple blood test will screen for many different types of cancer — even some of the most deadliest.

This was not available even 20 years ago — it wasn’t available in my early days. It wasn’t available at all during my parents’ generation.

Both of my parents had cancer. My dad died of lung cancer when I was 23, and my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and survived at age 62. She was able to live another almost 30 years so I’m pretty grateful for that.

But I think most of us have gotten a call where we’ve found out someone we care about has cancer — and it’s always a punch to the gut and terrifying. And so, to have this kind of early detection, that is what Generation Possible is all about, because we know early detection allows for more options of treatment. And I was particularly interested since people over 50 are 13 times more likely to get cancer than not.

Another reason I wanted to be part of this initiative is to spread awareness. Go to genpossible.com — there’s a quiz to take — particularly if you have a history of cancer in your family. There are also conversation starters and information about how to talk to your doctor about whether the test is a good option for you.

​How did your parents’ journeys with cancer change you?

I was quite young when my father was diagnosed and eventually died. He was given six months to live, and that’s just a terrible piece of information to have about your parent — no matter how old you are.

And then, with my mother, it was also just so shocking. One of the things that really surprised me was that she was 62 when she was diagnosed, and I was sort of under the impression that if you get through your 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s without getting cancer you’re kind of off scot-free.

It was really interesting for me to learn that people over 50 are 13 times more likely to get cancer. So, when I found out my mother was diagnosed at 62, although she lived another almost 30 years and she did have a double mastectomy — it was shocking. You’re grateful for life, ultimately, but still it’s jarring.

I did start getting early breast exams because of that, and that was the first time I really understood, as a young woman, as a patient, that I had to advocate for myself because it wasn’t common to get early mammograms back then even with the family history.

​You were diagnosed with meningioma in 2015 — a brain disease that is more common in women than men. What do you want women to know about your experience?

Meningioma is about twice as common in women than men — another thing that happens for women as they get older.

I’m very lucky that mine was benign. That was another time when I really had to advocate for myself. I just started feeling very tired and people were like, “Oh, you’re tired — you’re done with the TV show ‘Bad Judge’ — which just got canceled,” and really how easy it is to question our own signs and symptoms. But I just knew that something was wrong.

I finally pushed and saw a neurologist who, even then, was like, “You’re probably hormonal or going through menopause — you’re an actress, you’re not working,” and tried to talk me out of it. But I really pushed to get an MRI, and then there it was — a pretty large tumor in my head that was very fortunately benign. But that wasn’t discovered until they got in there and were able to remove all of it. And thank God — I’m very grateful. My whole life changed.

I did all the cliché things while I was going through it — if I come out of this OK I’m going to spend more time with family and less time working — but I really kept that promise to myself on keeping a work/life balance.

And I committed to doing all these basic, tedious things to take care of myself. Part of taking care of myself is doing less and sleeping more and getting great sleep. Exercising and eating healthy and knowing that when I don’t eat healthy, I’m going to feel it.

​Speaking of exercise, we know you like to do hot yoga. Would you rather go to hot yoga with McDreamy or McSteamy?

Oh my gosh. I have my own real-life McDreamy and McSteamy — my fiancé, Andrew Nixon, so that’s who I’d take. I’m very lucky.