Tierney 'lucky for early cancer diagnosis'

Maura Tierney has said that she feels "so lucky" to have been diagnosed with cancer while the illness was still treatable.

The Rescue Me actress discovered a lump in her breast last year and received surgery and chemotherapy sessions which led to a full recovery.

"I was so lucky," she told Parade.

"I had insurance, I found a great team of doctors at UCLA, and I could afford not to work while I was getting treated. From the beginning my doctor told me, 'You're going to be okay', and I chose to believe him."

She went on to say that she was "scared" of visiting doctors for fear of what health problems might lay ahead.

"I was so, so scared of going to the doctor. I felt something, and my boyfriend at the time made me go," she explained.

"He said, 'You've got to take care of this', because I was afraid. That's the one thing I will say: Don't be afraid to go to the damn doctor. Just go!"

It was recently announced that Tierney's Rescue Me character will face a cancer storyline in the upcoming season.