Babysitting From a Global Superstar, The Singer Who Helped a Pro Wrestling Legend, 56, While His Wife Battled Breast Cancer

Coping With a Loved One's Diagnosis

• Wrestling Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett, 56, has something in common with singer Taylor Swift that extends beyond country music; she helped babysit his daughters at a time his late wife waged a private battle with breast cancer.
• Losing a loved one to cancer is an incredibly emotional time that comes with grief. The grieving process comes in stages: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.
• Taylor Swift’s mom, Andrea, was diagnosed with cancer in 2015 and again in 2019. In 2020, she also dealt with a brain tumor that was discovered amid chemotherapy treatments.
• Loved ones of people battling a disease or cancer can show their support by getting involved and showing that you care, which can relieve added stress and anxiety. Helping with everyday tasks such as household chores or meal preparation is a great way to show support.

Wrestling legend Jeff Jarrett is known for emphasizing his country music roots throughout his wrestling career. Country music is also a common thread to his family’s connection to pop singer Taylor Swift. The Jarrett and Swift families also share something else: shared cancer experiences. Swift’s mom, Andrea , is a cancer survivor. Jarrett’s first wife, Jill, also waged a cancer battle, and it was during that tough time a young Taylor stepped in to help.

Jarrett says while his wife was battling breast cancer, Taylor, who was around 17 at the time, would babysit Jarrett’s three daughters. “Taylor was like a big sister,” Jarrett told WREG news. “She came over, took the girls baking cookies, and just hung out at the house. I can’t say enough good things about Taylor,” Jarrett added. According to wrestling news outlet The Wrestling Observer, Jarrett’s wife Jill “had been battling cancer on and off for many years.” During her remaining days, Jarrett, who spent lots of time traveling amid his wrestling career, spent more time by his wife’s side until she passed away from breast cancer. Specific details of Jill's diagnosis remained private as she largely remained out of the wrestling limelight.

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Coping After Losing a Spouse to Cancer

Grief looks different from person to person. However, it often comes in stages, which include denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. These labels help us frame and identify what we may be feeling. These stages can also occur in any order. The time it takes to navigate these stages can also vary, so giving yourself grace and patience is essential while navigating your feelings. WATCH: Coping with grief. “It often gets better over time, but on certain days, it can look like depression, and on other days, people look perfectly normal and can function,” Dr. Scott Irwin , a board-certified psychiatrist and Director of Supportive Care Services at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, previously told SurvivorNet. Dr. Irwin added that grieving people are coming to terms with “the change in their life; the future they had imagined is now different.” In a column for SurvivorNet, New York-based clinical psychologist Dr. Marianna Strongin wrote that it may be helpful to remind yourself that these feelings are “meaningful yet temporary.” “If you approach them with compassion, kindness, and eventually acceptance, you will come away from this period in your life more connected to your resilience and strength,” she wrote .

Tips to Improve Your Period of Grief

There are several ways to cope with the heartbreaking news of losing a loved one after an emotionally draining cancer battle. Below are some additional tips to help you.

• Talk to a therapist and share feelings you’re going through
• Have an open conversation with your spouse about the diagnosis
• Research the disease and learn about available treatment options
• Join a support group or connect with others who have gone through, or are going through, the same experience
• Spend time with your spouse and have consistent conversations about how you both are feeling

Taylor Swift’s Mom's Cancer Journey

Andrea Swift is a two-time breast cancer survivor following her first diagnosis in 2015 and then again in 2019. She also dealt with a brain tumor doctors discovered while she was undergoing chemotherapy. After sharing her mom’s diagnosis on social media with her fans, Taylor noted that her mom “may not be at as many shows” to focus on her cancer treatment, entertainment media outlet Distractify reports . WATCH: Metastatic Breast Cancer and Biomarkers. “The symptoms of what a person goes through when they have a brain tumor is nothing like what we’ve ever been through with her cancer before. So it’s just been a really hard time for us as a family,” Taylor Swift told Variety during an interview. Heading into 2024, it remains unclear how specifics about Andrea’s breast cancer and the status of ongoing treatment.

Although the “Anti-Hero” singer hasn’t revealed explicit details about her mom’s diagnosis, recently, we’ve covered instances of breast cancer spreading. In fact, “Beverly Hills 90210” actress Shannen Doherty's metastatic breast cancer journey includes her cancer spreading to her brain that required brain surgery. Metastatic breast cancer often presents as a recurrence of a prior early-stage breast cancer, although it can be a new diagnosis. The treatment plan for metastatic breast cancer patients depends on the specific needs of the woman, whether they need aggressive chemotherapy or, depending on the doctor’s assessment, they may benefit from another medication.

How to Support a Loved One Facing a Health Challenge

If you have a loved one fighting a disease or cancer, SurvivorNet has some ideas to help you better support your loved one. Simple tasks like helping with household chores or running errands can do wonders for your loved one who’s diagnosed. These tasks can make all the difference in relieving stress when the effect of chemotherapy brings fatigue, for example. Other ideas to help your loved one battling cancer include cooking, bringing prepared meals, or doing an activity you enjoy together. The support helps put your loved one battling a disease or cancer more at ease, which may be filled with anxiety after a diagnosis or amid intense treatment. “There are a number of common things cancer patients can experience,” Dr. Shelly Tworoger , a researcher at Moffitt Cancer Center, told SurvivorNet. “Anxiety, depression, financial toxicity, social isolation, and PTSD,” Dr. Tworoger said, are all emotions cancer warriors may experience and can be eased by loved ones. If you are a caregiver of your loved one facing a diagnosis, it is important to maintain your own mental and physical health as well. “Caregiving is the most important job in the universe because you are there through the highs and lows,” Julie Bulger , manager of patient and family-centered care at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, told SurvivorNet. Caregivers must also watch out for “caregiver burnout,” where stress, anger, fatigue, and illness emerge from putting another person’s needs ahead of their own. Caregivers who find themselves struggling to care for a cancer warrior should seek out a therapist or a support group of their own, either online or in person.