A rarity for Hollywood, Academy Award-winner Kathy Bates invited CBS SUNDAY MORNING's Lee Cowan for a visit to her doctor as she battles Lymphedema, a debilitating and potentially disfiguring disease, stemming from her breast cancer surgery in 2012. The interview will be broadcast Sunday, April 17 (9:00 AM, ET) on the CBS Television Network.
The disease is the result of doctors removing 19 lymph nodes during Bates' double mastectomy. Now, excess fluid collects in her arms, requiring her to wear a compression sleeve to minimize the swelling. "I went berserk, I went nuts," Bates tells Cowan of being diagnosed with the chronic disease. "And for a long time after that, I was really, really angry. I just turned into another person. I just felt betrayed, I felt enraged." Today, Bates manages the disease with regular visits to her doctor and has since become a spokesperson for the Lymphatic Education & Research Network, so she can help others. "I didn't know what I was saying yes to and the more I learn about it, the more angry I am," Bates says. "I feel I have to do something about it. If I can use my celebrity for something real, then that's what I want to do."Videos