Tracey Emin reveals she has been given the ‘all clear’ after bladder cancer battle and surgeries

Entertainment
By Liam

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Tracey Emin has revealed that she has finally received the ‘completely clear’ after her battle with bladder cancer, with an Instagram post on Tuesday.

The artist, 59, shared a photo of herself in her hospital gown about to get her CT scans, alongside a lengthy caption admitting she was “very happy” and glad she was alive.

She discovered she had a tumor in her bladder in June 2020 and was suffering from very aggressive squamous cell cancer, which surgeons feared would kill her within months if it spread to her lymph nodes.

Congratulations! Tracey Emin has revealed she has finally received the 'all clear' after her battle with bladder cancer, with an Instagram post on Tuesday

Congratulations! Tracey Emin has revealed she has finally received the ‘all clear’ after her battle with bladder cancer, with an Instagram post on Tuesday

She then underwent surgery to remove many of her reproductive organs, parts of her intestines, and lymph nodes, and was given an ostomy pouch.

Tracey announced she had been sober for over two years and confessed to missing her organs removed, but stated, “There’s so much more to me than a hole.”

She wrote: ‘EVERYTHING CLEAR. In the hospital to get my CT scans and see my surgeon.

“No matter how cool and stoic I am, inside I worry. This time because I’m happy, this time because I feel good.. I’m afraid to say I’m happy. But I am, my life is so much better, I am stronger and clearer.

1663347390 859 Tracey Emin reveals she has been given the all clear

1663347390 859 Tracey Emin reveals she has been given the all clear

Feeling happy: The artist, 59, shared a photo of herself in her hospital gown about to get her CT scans, alongside a lengthy caption admitting she was “very happy” and glad she was alive

“I’ve been sober for 27 months now and life is getting more interesting every day and I find myself more caring and more interested in everything around me.

‘I have to be honest.. I wish I had my bladder (a functioning one that wasn’t riddled with cancer) I don’t care about my uterus or growing equipment.

“But I really miss my vagina, my urethra and those bloody little lymph nodes that kept everything tickling.

‘But today I hear it all clearly.. Makes me very happy and feels good to be alive. I have so much more than a hole.’

Terrible news: She discovered she had a tumor in her bladder in June 2020 and was suffering from highly aggressive squamous cell cancer, which surgeons feared would kill her within months if it spread to her lymph nodes (pictured September 2022)

Terrible news: She discovered she had a tumor in her bladder in June 2020 and was suffering from highly aggressive squamous cell cancer, which surgeons feared would kill her within months if it spread to her lymph nodes (pictured September 2022)

Terrible news: She discovered she had a tumor in her bladder in June 2020 and was suffering from highly aggressive squamous cell cancer, which surgeons feared would kill her within months if it spread to her lymph nodes (pictured September 2022)

Prior to her cancer surgery, Tracey said she stayed up 24 hours with her lawyer rewriting her will.

She then sent an email to 70 friends sharing the news of her cancer and instructing them, “Don’t contact me.”

She has an ostomy bag left because ‘half my body was cut out’ and unfortunately still struggles with painting.

Tracey said in April 2021, “I don’t paint because I use my willpower to stay alive. That’s what I’m doing.’

Survivor: She then underwent surgery to remove many of her reproductive organs, parts of her intestines, and lymph nodes, and was also given an ostomy pouch

Survivor: She then underwent surgery to remove many of her reproductive organs, parts of her intestines, and lymph nodes, and was also given an ostomy pouch

Survivor: She then underwent surgery to remove many of her reproductive organs, parts of her intestines, and lymph nodes, and was also given an ostomy pouch

Tracey, best known for such works as her unmade bed and the tent Everyone I Have Ever Slept With, added that she hoped to start painting again in the future.

“I never realized how much I wanted to live until I thought I was going to die,” she said after hearing a year ago that doctors had successfully removed all the cancer.

WHAT IS BLACK CANCER?

Bladder cancer is caused by a tumor that develops in the lining of the bladder or the muscle of the organ.

According to figures, about 10,200 new cases are diagnosed each year in the UK and 81,400 people in the US.

It is the 10th most common cancer in the UK – but slightly more common in the US – and accounts for about three percent of all cases.

The cancer is more common in men and has a 10-year survival rate of about 50 percent. About half of the cases are considered preventable.

Symptoms of the disease include blood in the urine, urinating more often or more urgently than usual, and pelvic pain.

However, unexpected weight loss and leg swelling can also be signs of the deadly disease.

Smoking and exposure to chemicals in plastics and paint at work can increase your risk of developing bladder cancer.

Treatment varies depending on how advanced the cancer is and may include surgery, radiotherapy, or chemotherapy.

Source: NHS Choices

But it didn’t stop Tracey from feeling ‘very happy’ and saying last year, ‘I’m doing great, I’m doing so well.

“I’m so happy and I’m taking each day as it comes and I’m just so glad I’m still alive because there was a pretty strong expectation that I wouldn’t make it to Christmas.

“And I’m going to make it until Christmas and the next Christmas and the next.

“That’s what I’m aiming for, so I feel really happy and good and I wish the world would get better. I wish the world would catch up with me in this.’

Tracey continued: ‘It could have been very, very different, so I’m so grateful.

“My surgeon and the team call me a miracle woman because I just kind of jumped up and picked it up again.

“Maybe a little too soon at first…because I was in bed for another month. But now I’m balancing things and being more careful.

‘I want to live forever. I want to do my art, I want more exhibitions, there are things to do… and I had to think ‘I’m not going to do it’. I had to come to terms with that.’

Tracey compared her surgeries to child or gender reassignment surgery. She also revealed that she had been working on a painting of a malignant lump before doctors discovered the tumor on her bladder.

Tracey is one of the most well-known British artists of her generation, famed for her infamous work My Bed, Tracey’s record of several days spent in bed in the throes of depression.

The bed is unmade and the sheets are stained, while all kinds of objects such as condoms, birth control pills, underwear stained with menstrual blood, money and cigarette butts lie on the floor.

The work was nominated for the Turner Prize in 1999 and received extremely mixed reactions from the public and press

She was one of the so-called Young British Artists that emerged in the 1990s, along with Damien Hirst and Sarah Lucas.

Career Highlights of Tracey Emin

1995, Everyone I Have Ever Slept With 1963-95: This piece first brought Tracey Emin more fame, both in the art world and the general public

1995, Everyone I Have Ever Slept With 1963-95: This piece first brought Tracey Emin more fame, both in the art world and the general public

1995, Everyone I Have Ever Slept With 1963-95: This piece first brought Tracey Emin more fame, both in the art world and the general public

1999, My Bed: The piece is Emin's record of several days spent in bed in the throes of depression. The bed is not made and the sheets are stained. There are all kinds of things everywhere, such as condoms, birth control pills, underwear stained with menstrual blood, money and cigarette butts. The work was nominated for the Turner Prize in 1999 and received extremely mixed reactions from the public and press

1999, My Bed: The piece is Emin's record of several days spent in bed in the throes of depression. The bed is not made and the sheets are stained. There are all kinds of things everywhere, such as condoms, birth control pills, underwear stained with menstrual blood, money and cigarette butts. The work was nominated for the Turner Prize in 1999 and received extremely mixed reactions from the public and press

1999, My Bed: The piece is Emin’s record of several days spent in bed in the throes of depression. The bed is not made and the sheets are stained. There are all kinds of things everywhere, such as condoms, birth control pills, underwear stained with menstrual blood, money and cigarette butts. The work was nominated for the Turner Prize in 1999 and received extremely mixed reactions from the public and press

2001, The Perfect Place to Grow: This work pays tribute to the artist's Turkish Cypriot father, who, she says, is a fantastic gardener but a terrible carpenter. It consists of a wooden birdhouse-like structure on wooden poles

2001, The Perfect Place to Grow: This work pays tribute to the artist's Turkish Cypriot father, who, she says, is a fantastic gardener but a terrible carpenter. It consists of a wooden birdhouse-like structure on wooden poles

2001, The Perfect Place to Grow: This work pays tribute to the artist’s Turkish Cypriot father, who, she says, is a fantastic gardener but a terrible carpenter. It consists of a wooden birdhouse-like structure on wooden poles

2004, Hate and Power Can be a Terrible Thing: This Appliqued Blanket Work is a blistering attack on Margaret Thatcher and her participation in the 1982 Falklands War

2004, Hate and Power Can be a Terrible Thing: This Appliqued Blanket Work is a blistering attack on Margaret Thatcher and her participation in the 1982 Falklands War

2004, Hate and Power Can be a Terrible Thing: This Appliqued Blanket Work is a blistering attack on Margaret Thatcher and her participation in the 1982 Falklands War

2011, I Promise To Love You: In the 2000s, Emin began working extensively with neon lighting. These works feature words and sentences in her handwriting. Pictured, 2011 neon sculpture I Promise To Love You

2011, I Promise To Love You: In the 2000s, Emin began working extensively with neon lighting. These works feature words and sentences in her handwriting. Pictured, 2011 neon sculpture I Promise To Love You

2011, I Promise To Love You: In the 2000s, Emin began working extensively with neon lighting. These works feature words and sentences in her handwriting. Pictured, 2011 neon sculpture I Promise To Love You

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