Warm-hearted stories like this one serve as a helpful reminder that, in spite of common perception, Hollywood celebrities are just normal people who experience trials and pain.

In her most recent interview with Dr. Phill, Academy Award winner Kathy Bates opens up about her illness and the challenges she overcomes without sharing them with the world.

Unexpectedly, she was thrust into the most challenging role she had ever played: that of a real-life fighter who had to defeat cancer twice.

In 2012, she had the bravery to reveal to US Weekly that she had beaten ovarian cancer for nine years and counting. But few know that I received a breast cancer diagnosis a few weeks ago.

“You think American Horror Story is scary?,” she says after outlining the signs and symptoms of this condition. You should have been in the room with me.

The devastating diagnosis of ovarian cancer that she received in 2003 marked the start of her struggle. She declined to reveal that she had undergone several arduous surgeries and nine months of chemotherapy. She addressed the people, saying:

I said, “I told no one.” Following the treatment, I continued working with Brittany Murphy on Little Black Book. My agency at the time was really conservative and didn’t want me to represent ovarian cancer in a negative light. I was completely exhausted, but I didn’t want anyone to know.

Since “breast cancer runs like a river in my family,” according to the woman, she wasn’t surprised to learn she had the illness. After telling her followers about it, she made the decision to have a double mastectomy in an effort to stop it from getting worse.This time, she chose to channel her grief into inspiring other women. This brave woman never stopped being upbeat, even cracking the joke, “I don’t miss my breasts as much as I miss Harry’s Law,” and saying thank you to everyone who stood by her during her trying times.

It is our good fortune that she attempted to replace the plate of tart green tomatoes that her life had given her with a platter of fried green tomatoes.