Kathy Bates is a well-known and recognizable name in the United States. The actress, who has had success on both the stage and in films, had her breakthrough in the dramatic psychological thriller Misery, for which she received an Academy Award nomination. Away from the camera, though, the celebrity has a difficult medical history.

The actress, who has previously won two Golden Globes and two Primetime Emmys, is best known for her roles in the ninth season of Two and a Half Men and the NBC sitcom Harry’s Law. On the other hand, Bates was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2003.

As a result of her battle with the disease, she had a hysterectomy (the surgical removal of the womb) and nine rounds of chemotherapy. Bates was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012, two years after she had recovered from the illness.

With a strong family history of breast cancer and after finding that both her mother and aunt had the condition, the actress decided to have a double mastectomy, which included removing both breasts.

“When the doctor told me I had a tumor in my left breast, I yelled, ‘Make mine a double,’” I said. Take them both out. “I wasn’t taking any chances,” she said in a prior interview with Practical Pain Management.