How Comedian Ken Jeong Helped His Wife Fight Breast Cancer

breast cancer doesn't just take a toll on the person with the disease but it also impacts everyone around them especially caregivers whether it's a spouse a child or a friend Andrew and I sat down with the hangover star Ken Jong and his wife to discuss how he helped get her through the toughest year of their lives together Mr Chow lesie Chow what happened last night am I missing a tooth we're getting married in 5 hours that's not going to happen they say laughter is the best medicine and it turns out that's exactly what one of the most iconic comedic roles became for Ken Jung and his wife Tran when they fac the unthinkable I got a call from the surgeon and she said that it was breast cancer so it didn't look good at that time that was the day Ken and tr's life changed forever something my husband Andrew and I know all too well facing a cancer diagnosis is devastating for the patient but the impact on the spouse and caregiver is sometimes forgotten trans thoughts as did mine went straight to her children her twin daughters just one-year-old at the time of Her diagnosis I thought I have these girls what am I going to do if I don't survive this right away you have to become very practical and very strong does your marriage get stronger do you lean on each other tell me what happens between the two of you Ken was so strong for me when the opportunity The Hangover came up he really worried about he said I don't know if I should to do this that's the C for the trunk in fact the call to take on what would be a watershed career moment came right in the middle of trans grueling chemotherapy treatments Ken did you know that this was going to be the role of a lifetime no not at all he called me and he said TR what do you think if I did this scene naked are you okay with that and I said of course of course what was that guy he so mean you did say this when the movie came out it would be a it's a feel-good movie of the summer because every every guy will go home feeling good about them themselves CH you gave us the wrong dog not my problem and what was meant to be the comedic antics of a Korean gangster suddenly also became therapy the anger of Mr Chow which was so funny it really came from such a dark place you were going through I would adli actually I'm Korean I was speaking Vietnamese in the there's Vietnamese in the movie and like I say got chick and like all these things to get my henchman to get out got chick that's Vietnamese for chick and die so there's these tiny things there's these inside just between me and I I make laugh I would sprinkle that all throughout the movie just for me without telling Todd or anybody and I would just literally just do little Vietnamese phrases to make tram laugh it's like the weirdest love letter to your wife in a very filthy movie bu listen let's go okay I've often thought when I have had time now to reflect I mean all the attention is on the cancer patient and caregivers don't get the same kind of support and love I look at that in many ways as as just kind of getting me through you know the worst period of my life it says a lot about you though that you were so supportive and saying go do this CU you said you're you're a team to kind of let him build himself up to even be stronger was a a great thing you did guys really are a team a formidable team arming themselves with laughter and a Little Help From a billion dollar movie franchise battling trans breast cancer until she was declared cancer free a moment that Ken would later memorialize at the 2010 MTV Movie Awards I want to take the opportunity to thank my wife TR the reason why I did this she taught me that life is short and then don't be afraid to take chances and I just want to tell you that TR is cancer free for two years one of the best things I heard from the beginning is Tran this is going to take a year my doctor said be prepared you will have a year of he and then it will get [Music] better and when talking about his hangover classmates Ken told me when I see those guys there's a deeper bond that just transcends fame or fortune in fact on Ken's last day of filming Bradley Cooper drove him home so that they could both see Tran and she is now her the twins are eight and she is still cancer free and doing so well but it's so wonderful that you're bringing attention to the caregivers and spouses and those that are that stand behind those going through it because you're right they couldn't do it without them no way no how beautiful thank you

Channel: ABC News

Views: 1,139,914

Keywords: Ken, Jeong, Breast, Cancer, Awareness, Month, Dr., Caregiver, ABC, News, GMA, Comedian (Profession), Ken Jeong (Film Actor), Breast Cancer (Disease Or Medical Condition)

Id: 8peBv6EE-sA

Length: 4min 44sec (284 seconds)

Published: Thu Oct 01 2015