‘Big Bang Theory’ star reveals lung cancer scare: ‘Never smoked’

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Big Bang Theory actress Kate Micucci has revealed that she has been diagnosed with lung cancer.

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Micucci, 43, shared a video on her TikTok from the hospital after undergoing surgery. She told followers that everything is “all good,” noting that doctors “caught it really early.”

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“Hey everybody, this is not a TikTok, it’s a ‘Sick Tok,’” Micucci said. “I’m in the hospital but it’s because I had lung cancer surgery yesterday. They caught it really early.”

Micucci said the diagnosis came as a shock because she had “never smoked a cigarette in my life.”

“It’s really weird, because I’ve never smoked a cigarette in my life so uh, you know, it was a surprise,” Micucci said. “But also I guess, it happens and so the greatest news is they caught it early, they got it out, I’m all good.”

The actress, who played Lucy, the love interest of Kunal Nayyar’s Raj on the beloved CBS sitcom, also shared a clip of her giving a thumbs up as she walked through the halls of the hospital while wheeling an IV as well as a photo of her resting in bed with a box of Frosted Flakes and a banana.

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“It’s been a little bit of a trip and (I’ll) probably be moving slow for a few weeks but then I’ll be back at it,” Micucci said, adding that she’s excited to resume her painting hobby.

“Why am I still talking,” she concluded, “’cause I’m on drugs!”

In the comments section of her post, Micucci responded to a fan who asked her how she detected the cancer.

“I had one thing in my bloodwork that came back really high,” she explained, noting later that she had “inflammation somewhere.”

“So I went to a preventative doc who did a few scans. He scanned my heart and that’s where the spot in my lung was noticed,” she continued.

Micucci had a recurring role as Lucy in seasons 6, 7 and 10 of the CBS sitcom. She has also appeared in episodes of Scrubs, Till Death, Raising Hope, How I Met Your Mother and Malcolm in the Middle, and others.

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According to the Mayo Clinic, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide.

People who smoke have the greatest risk of lung cancer, but the disease can also occur in people who have never smoked.

Former Saved by the Bell star Dustin Diamond, who was also a non-smoker, died just three weeks after being diagnosed in 2021.

Diamond “was diagnosed with this brutal, relentless form of malignant cancer only three weeks ago. In that time, it managed to spread rapidly throughout his system; the only mercy it exhibited was its sharp and swift execution,” read a statement from spokesperson Roger Paul and Diamond’s longtime management team. “Dustin did not suffer. He did not have to lie submerged in pain. For that, we are grateful.”

Comedian Kathy Griffin was also diagnosed with lung cancer, despite also being a non-smoker.

“I’m about to go into surgery to have half of my left lung removed,” she wrote in a social media post in August 2021. “Yes, I have lung cancer even though I’ve never smoked!”

mdaniell@postmedia.com

X: @markhdaniell

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