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    Singer-Songwriter Toni Braxton, 56, Is Managing Grief After Losing Her Sister To Esophageal Cancer

    By Danielle Cinone,

    9 hours ago

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    Coping After Losing a Loved One

    • Toni Braxton, known for her hits “Un-Break My Heart” and “He Wasn’t Man Enough,” will be opening up about going to grief counseling and how much she’s been missing her sister Traci since her passing on the new season of “The Braxtons.”
    • Traci passed away on March 12, 2022, at the age of 50, after a private battle with esophageal cancer.
    • Esophageal cancer is a disease that causes cancer cells to form in the tissues of the esophagus, a hollow, muscular tube that food and liquid move through when traveling from the throat to the stomach. The wall of the esophagus is made of up several layers of tissue; cancer begins on the inside lining and spreads to the outer layers of the esophagus as it grows.
    • Grief is a difficult, truly personal process, and it’s something Toni Braxton has revealed to the public. Some find solace in vulnerability and sharing how they feel with others.
    • While working through grief and vulnerable tackling of the emotions that accompany it, some find tools like therapy to be helpful. Support groups can also be a benefit for those who are feeling isolated in their feelings of grief. Faith can also be a powerful coping mechanism for some.
    • Whichever methods of support you look for after cancer loss, you should know that there is no correct way to grieve. There is no perfect timeline for grieving, either.
    As a new season of “The Braxtons" is set to premiere on WeTV, singer-songwriter Toni Braxton, known for her hits "Un-Break My Heart" and "He Wasn't Man Enough," has been seen in preview footage letting out her emotions while prepping for grief counseling. Toni, who will be featured in the upcoming show with her fellow Braxton sisters, Towanda, Trina, and Tamar, has been coping with overwhelming emotions since her sister Tracy passed away at age 50 from a private battle with esophageal cancer.
    In an exclusive first look at "The Braxtons" new series preview, shared by TooFab , Toni shed some tears as she prepped to open up about the loss of her sister, who died in 2022. Toni is seen in the footage speaking to her younger sister Towanda as she gets her makeup done before speaking to the cameras about missing Traci and how she's coping with the loss. "I'm getting made-up for it, but emotionally we'll see," Toni told her sister. "I haven't talked to anyone about the Traci stuff. I've been dealing with it on my own, so I'm optimistic that this will help me."

    More Resources On Coping With Loss

    Speaking to the cameras in a confessional, Toni explained, "I'm optimistic that this grief management will work. But I just miss her. I just miss her everyday. "I try to make myself think of something positive, like the butterfly doesn't know it used to be a caterpillar and the caterpillar doesn't know it's gonna be a butterfly. So, Traci's a butterfly." She concluded, "You just try to live with a broken heart, and it's really difficult trying to make yourself live with a broken heart." It's wonderful to see Towanda was offering all the support she could give to Toni while on the phone call, and referring to how she's dealing with the loss of their sister and prepping for counseling, she said, "I'm in a good space. I'm eager to listen. I'm eager to learn. I'm eager to grow." To make light of the conversation, Toni joked—referencing "Un-Break My Heart?" her 1996 hit from her second studio album Secrets— and said, "It's hard to try and live with a broken heart, but maybe she can try and un-break our hearts." Towanda later added, "At least we can smile and laugh, you know?" "The Braxtons" is set to premiere on on WeTV, on Friday, August 9 at 9:30pm ET.

    Traci Braxton's Private Cancer Battle

    Traci Braxton, the third child of her parents Michael and Evelyn, passed away on March 12, 2022, at the age of 50. She privately fought esophageal cancer and the stage of her cancer remains unknown. It is also unclear how long she was battling the disease for. She was best known for her appearances on "Braxton Family Values", a reality television show featuring her sisters, as well as their brother Michael, and their families. The show first aired in 2011 and ran for seven seasons before Towanda confirmed that network WE TV had canceled the show.
    https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3ma9yu_0uutOZd700
    Traci Braxton pictured on April 03, 2019 in Universal City, California (Photo by Paul Archuleta/Getty Images)
    Traci's death was announced by her family on March 12, 2022, in an Instagram post that read, "It is with the utmost regret that we inform you of the passing of our sister, Traci. Needless to say, she was a bright light, a wonderful daughter, an amazing sister, a loving mother, wife, grandmother and a respected performer. We will miss her dearly. RELATED: Why Are More Young People Getting Devastating Cancer of The Esophagus? Understanding the Disease and Trends in Diagnoses
    "Traci passed this morning as the snow was falling, our angel is now a snowflake. We ask that you respect our privacy as we plan to send her home with love, celebrating her life. We are family forever."

    Understanding Esophageal Cancer

    Esophageal cancer is a disease that causes cancer cells to form in the tissues of the esophagus, a hollow, muscular tube that food and liquid move through when traveling from the throat to the stomach. The wall of the esophagus is made of up several layers of tissue; cancer begins on the inside lining and spreads to the outer layers of the esophagus as it grows. Several lifestyle factors, like smoking or heavy alcohol use, can increase a person’s risk of developing esophageal cancer. Approximately 22,370 new cases of esophageal cancer are diagnosed in the U.S. every year, according to American Cancer Society estimates, and it is more common among men. “Esophageal cancer, we know is a tough one,” Dr. Brendon Stiles , a thoracic surgeon at Montefiore Medical Center, previously told SurvivorNet. “It’s one of the cancers with some of the lowest cure rates out there, but like many cancers, if we find it early, we can often treat it effectively, either with surgery, with surgery and chemotherapy, with chemotherapy and radiation.” Dr. Sofya Pintova explains how esophageal cancer is diagnosed. Dr. Stiles recommends that patients report any symptoms that may indicate esophageal cancer to their doctors right away, since there are more treatment options when the cancer is caught early.

    Coping After The Loss of a Loved One

    It's important to remember that grief may look different for everyone—and the stages of grief are 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: Dealing With Grief Related to Health Problems “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.” SurvivorNet spoke with Megan Newcomer, who lost a close friend to metastatic cancer in 2018. She shared her unique way of coping with grief. Her friend was an athlete and soccer player, so to help her cope, she embarked on a marathon race in his honor. Newcomer advises others grieving to first “acknowledge your feelings.” “Then, think about a way that you could honor the person through a mechanism that is meaningful to you. So that can be artwork, music, or developing a financial fundraising project. It could be something very simple, but I do think having it be intentional is what you’re doing to help honor this person,” Newcomer adds. 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.

    Support Through An Esophageal Cancer Battle

    Getting the news that you have cancer, especially a disease that is known for being difficult to treat like esophageal cancer, can be a very traumatic experience. When it comes to treating cancer, making sure the patient feels healthy mentally is part of the process as well and that may look different from patient to patient. Esophageal cancer is more commonly diagnosed in men, who stereotypically have a more difficult time asking for help when they are struggling mentally. “The esophageal cancer population is a unique population,” Dr. Raja Flores, a thoracic surgeon with Mount Sinai Health System, told SurvivorNet. “Many of the people who develop esophageal cancer are men who are taking care of their families, who are proud, who are strong, who are self-reliant. So when they get faced with this diagnosis and this real vulnerability, they get depressed in a way that can make them crawl up in bed and not want to get out and that’s when the family comes into play.” WATCH: Esophageal Cancer: Getting Emotional Support Dr. Flores stressed the importance of having a good support system in place. Having close friends or family members there to rally for you when you feel the lowest can make a huge difference in how a patient handles treatment. He also stressed the importance of having a solid doctor-patient relationship. Patients should feel comfortable bringing their concerns about their disease and treatment to their doctors, and that includes struggles they may be going through mentally. “There’s a lot more connected with this disease than just your body getting harmed,” there’s your soul, your emotions. There’s a lot that goes with it,” Dr. Flores said. “I think it’s very important to understand that about your patients so you can treat them appropriately. Once they know you see them and where they’re coming from, that’s when you get the, ‘Doc, I’ll do whatever you say, whatever you tell me.’ That’s when you can really get them to the best treatment that they need.” There are also plenty of resources available for people living with cancer who feel like they’re struggling mentally, from traditional therapy to support groups to integrative medicine that may include treatment approaches like acupuncture or meditation. Check out SurvivorNet’s resources on mental health for cancer survivors. Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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