"I know there are people who are ashamed,” Cross told CBS. “You have cancer! You have to then also feel ashamed? Like you did something bad, you know, because it took up residence in your anus? I mean, come on, really. There's enough on your plate.”"Even for me, it took a while,” she said. “Anus, anus, anus! Ha. You just have to get used to it." forms on the anal canal, near the sphincter muscles.
People who have many sexual partners and have anal sex often are at a higher risk for HPV and anal cancer. But while anal cancer is typically linked to HPV, it’s also possible for those without the STI to develop the disease. Ten years ago, Cross’s husband, Tom Mahoney, was diagnosed with throat cancer. Cross said that doctors believe the same type of high-risk HPV caused both of their cancers.
As for Cross, she says she’s in remission after six weeks of radiation and two weeks of chemotherapy. "I'm feeling back to normal, though it's a new normal," she told CBS. "I don't think I'll ever take it for granted. I'm the girl who goes to the bathroom now and I go 'Yes! It's great what my body can do! I'm so grateful.'"