Tom Hanks has criticised medical professionals for “cashing in” on his wife’s cancer.
Actress Rita Wilson, the actor’s wife of 27 years, was diagnosed with breast cancer last December and according to Hanks has now finished medical treatment following a bilateral mastectomy and reconstruction.
But Hanks complained over the “predatory” doctors who got in touch when they found out about Wilson’s diagnosis, saying some were “absolute quacks just trying to make money.”
“S*** goes on like that and it’s astounding to me. It all adds to the difficulty, and we are lucky we can afford good medical care, but there are people who are dealing and selling in false hopes," he told an Australian newspaper.
“All I can say is God bless my wife and God bless her courage.”
He added that it was "bold" to go public with the news, but he understood it was important to pay attention to it.
“The only thing you can do when something like that comes along is drop everything and pay attention to it. It’s a health crises that we all know is hell and however you deal with it, it’s bold to keep the information close to the heart and it’s also bold to say: ‘Here’s the deal, here comes breast cancer!’”
Wilson, who is best known for her roles in Sleepless in Seattle and It’s Complicated, urged people to get regular check-ups so that cancer can be detected sooner.
“[I am] expected to make a full recovery,” she told People magazine. “Why? Because I caught this early, have excellent doctor and because I got a second opinion.”
