Kathy Bates says she is 'grateful' to be alive after surviving cancer twice

Actress Kathy Bates is thankful to be alive after having battled cancer twice.  

The American Horror Story star successfully fought ovarian cancer in 2003, only to discover nine years later that she had breast cancer. Now with a clean bill of health, 71-year-old Bates said she knows how lucky she is.

"It's really good, so I'm grateful," she told Us Weekly at The 24 Hour Plays Broadway Gala in New York on Monday. "I mean, you never know when the shoe is going to drop again, but I'm just totally enjoying being lucky and alive and enjoying life and working."

Three years ago, Bates — who won an Oscar in 1991 for her role in Misery — revealed that she had lost several members of her family to breast cancer. Therefore, shortly after her 2012 diagnosis, she opted for a double mastectomy.

"Breast cancer runs like a river through my family," she revealed on The Dr Oz Show. "It was strange. Ovarian wasn't so bad for some reason, but breasts were worse. It was very emotional and I really felt like my life was over."

But the operation was successful and doctors told Bates she would not need further radiation or chemotherapy treatments as she still had many years left to live. 

"Hey all, sorry for the long silence," she tweeted back in 2012. "I was diagnosed with breast cancer 2 months ago & am recovering from a double mastectomy. ... I don't miss my breasts as much as I miss [US TV show] Harry's Law. ;-) Thanks for all the sweet tweets. Y'all kept me going."

In 2015, Bates was also diagnosed with lymphedema, a condition that sees a blockage in the lymphatic, immune and circulatory systems commonly caused by damaged lymph nodes due to cancer treatment.

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