It's the big 'C' diagnosis that many people dread hearing from their doctor but happens so often. VH1's Mob Wives star Angela "Big Ang" Raiola, knows firsthand what that diagnosis feels like after being informed of a lemon-sized tumor found in her throat, which doctors determined was lung cancer.
55-year-old Raiola was diagnosed this past March with lung cancer according to People. In an exclusive interview with the magazine, the reality star disclosed that during a visit to her doctor they found the tumor and considered her lucky for finding it in only its beginning stages. The stage 2 cancer was blocking her airway, making it difficult for her to breathe.
One week after the diagnosis Raiola "underwent surgery on the left side of her throat and then in June, again on the right." Chemo treatment is usually the recommended treatment under this diagnosis but the former bar owner opted against it. After the two surgeries, she feels she should've taken the treatment.
"If I had known, I might have picked the treatments. It feels like they cut my head off and put it back on."
The Mob Wives star, who takes on the mother figure role on the show, is attempting to handle the diagnosis as best as she knows how saying, "everything happens for a reason." She explains the role cigarette smoking had in the disease, and although she has since stopped smoking, she misses it.
"I quit smoking the day I found out," she revealed to People. Raiola explained how she smoked for over 40 years, by choice, and no one could convince her to stop or tell her what to do. Now, after being diagnosed, she knows that her days as a smoker are over.
"It's hard to just put down the cigarette and never look back. I enjoyed smoking. I miss it so much. But it's over," she says.
The reality star goes on to tell how her husband of six years, Neil Murphy, has been more than helpful but the surgeries and dealing with her new lifestyle has taken a toll on their marriage, that she hopes VH1's Couples Therapy will help them mend during their upcoming appearance on the show in October.
VH1 reported that on the show, which will air on Wednesday Oct. 7, the couple will confront all issues in their marriage. Raiola feels that Murphy lies too much, and there has even been mention of hookers. Dr. Jenn will attempt to help them work through their problems and chronicle Raiola's journey with cancer.
