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An Actress and Advocate

Adamari López has taken on her biggest role to date: champion for breast cancer awareness. Now, she devotes her time to educating Hispanics about the life-threatening disease.

By Millie Acebal Rousseau

Adamari López is living proof that breast cancer can strike anyone at any age.
In 2005, at age 34, López was shocked to receive a breast cancer diagnosis after she discovered a suspicious bump on her breast. She admits she didn’t know what to make of the lump at first, and figured it was related to her monthly cycle. Her doctor agreed, but when it didn’t go away and remained painful, she went in for follow-up. Tests revealed it was, indeed, cancer.
López, who has been acting since the age of 7 when she landed a part as the daughter of Puerto Rican actress Iris Chacón in the telenovela Yo Se Que Mentía, approached the situation as she does everything in life.
As if she was preparing for a role, she studied everything she could about cancer and treatments as she sought comfort from others who had gone through the same thing. “I was always positive, with an excellent attitude ... about treatment, the operation ... whatever it took to live, to move forward,” she recalls. “I always believed I’d come out of it.”
Her mother and her faith played major supporting roles, as did her then-boyfriend, Puerto Rican singer and actor Luis Fonsi, who is now her husband. At the time, Fonsi was in the midst of launching an international tour, which he cancelled to remain at her side during treatment. “He was my partner, friend, confidant,” she recalls. “He was a pillar during that time.”
Luckily, doctors caught the breast cancer in Stage 1, and after undergoing chemotherapy and surgery, she was declared cancer-free. But, the battle was far from over. A year later, her mother was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, cancer of the lymphatic system. “I told her, ‘Mom, after so much prayer, why give up?’ That started a process of trying to understand.” Both remain in remission today.
The experiences propelled López into involvement with Favor de Tocar, a foundation to raise cancer awareness among Mexican women. She also has partnered with Yoplait for its annual Save Lids to Save Lives campaign, which raises funds for Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
The young actress also has a message for women and loved ones currently dealing with breast cancer: “Be positive; it’s a hard and strong disease,” she says. “Take care of yourself —eat better and exercise.”