Hallmark Star Brennan Elliott's Wife Cami's Cancer Diagnosis Explained
Sometimes, the script hits a little too close to home for Hallmark star Brennan Elliott. The star opened up to TV Fanatic after he filmed "The Gift of Peace" and shared that he was initially reluctant to make the movie because the screenplay scared him. Explaining his reaction when he first read it, Elliott said, "I knew what it was like to lose someone and to be in grief. I know what it's like even to be faced with the fear of anticipatory grief. ... Obviously, as a caregiver for my wife's illness, it hit home in some ways that scared me. But at the same time, those are the ones you want to do." Elliott's wife, Camilla Row Elliott, was first diagnosed with stage 1b gastric adenocarcinoma, an aggressive type of stomach cancer, in 2018. Elliott documents his wife's journey on social media and updates followers on her health. Camilla's cancer has now progressed to stage 4.
Brennan himself has declared war against the cancer, taking to Facebook at the end of 2022 and writing, "Dear #StomachCancer, you will lose. Just thought I should let you know especially since it's #stomachcancerawarenessday. This is for everyone who is enduring the impossible. And for all the #caregivers who are passengers on this journey, I pray for you all." In January, Camilla spoke about her journey with stomach cancer and how it has changed her life's trajectory.
Camilla Row Elliott's stomach was removed at stage 1
For two years, clinical psychologist Camilla Row Elliott thought she had severe heartburn and was treated by three doctors before being diagnosed with stage 1a gastric adenocarcinoma in 2018. She told City of Hope, "In South Korea, they start testing for gastric cancer at 35. Had I lived in Korea ..." Yet, she initially kept the news quiet to protect her husband's career. "I didn't want anyone who was considering hiring him to think, well he can't do it because he's got a sick wife at home," Elliott told Orange Coast Magazine. The mother-of-two was optimistic when she was first diagnosed because the cancer was still in its infancy. So, Elliott opted to have her stomach and 47 of her lymph nodes removed, believing it was unlikely she would have a reoccurrence.
Two of Elliott's lymph nodes came back as having tested positive for cancer, and she was upstaged to stage 1b. At the recommendation of her medical team, Elliott underwent chemotherapy. She told Hope for Stomach Cancer, "I completed eight rounds of FOLFOX6. I was declared NED, cancer-free, in remission! It was during this process I also had genetic testing done and I discovered that I had a germline CDH1 VUS mutation." City of Hope, a leading cancer research center, reports that CDH-1 is the leading risk factor for stomach cancer and that Asian Americans are three times more likely to develop the condition.
Camilla Elliott advocates for stage 4 cancer patients
Camilla Row Elliott was given months to live after the cancer spread to her ovaries in December 2021. In her candid interview with Orange Coast Magazine, she said, "I went from a stage 1 survivor to a stage 4 patient overnight. ... But I was not ready to die." Elliott met City of Hope surgeon Dr. Yanghee Woo, who took a personal approach to Elliott's treatment, including HIPEC therapy. She described it by saying, "[It's] basically like a hot chemo wash of your insides." Elliott shared that she was cancer-free for a year after her fourth round of HIPEC was successful. Brennan Elliott, Camilla's husband, penned on Instagram, "[T]oday is a day to rejoice in Gods mercy and grace."
In August 2023, the cancer returned, and so did Elliott's #warriorwife mode. She told Orange Coast, "I'm a clinical psychologist by trade... I found this new calling to advocate for patients to receive personalized care. Especially with stage 4 patients, there's a tendency to write us off and say that we should have no expectation to be cured. ... I'm just thrilled that I can live my life with minimal or even periods of no disease being stage 4. The survival rate is about 6 percent. But I tell myself, I could be in that 6 percent." Elliott had her latest HIPEC treatment in January 2024, and she shared on her private Instagram account that no new cancer was found. She wrote (via Heavy), "I am thankful."