Sandra Lee recovering after new cancer surgery
Celebrity chef Sandra Lee was recovering Wednesday after a second cancer-related surgery Tuesday went well, her spokeswoman says.
Lee, 49, the Food Network star who would be the first lady of New York if she and longtime love Gov. Andrew Cuomo were married, has been struggling to recover since her double mastectomy in May following a breast cancer diagnosis.
"We are happy to let you know that Sandra is out of surgery," said her spokeswoman, Cathy Chermol, in an email message. "The operation took more than two hours, and Sandra (is) resting in post-op — and her medical team reports everything went very well."
Lee was rushed to the hospital Aug. 5, after she experienced a buildup of fluids from a suspected infection. Cuomo, who introduced his pal Billy Joel at a concert that night, left early to be with her. She went home over the weekend and was placed on antibiotics.
Lee had resisted more surgery to fix the problem. On her Facebook page Lee said she tried Eastern and holistic treatments "but infection is an incredible monster."
Eventually, she and Cuomo decided she had no choice, Lee said.
"I am a long way from where I was and a long way from where I need to be, but at this point I understand that right now I just need to complete this unexpected phase of a tough journey," she wrote.
In another Facebook post Tuesday, Lee's PR team wrote that Lee walked into the operating room instead of being wheeled in on a gurney. Chermol said that after the Tuesday surgery, Lee was cheerful enough to joke.
The nurses told her she had to wait before she could have some water but "maybe they could negotiate with an ice chip? Sandra lifted her head slightly and said, 'Water WAS my negotiation...I'd really love a nice glass of rosé.' So her celebratory self is right in place," Chermol said.
Lee revealed her breast cancer diagnosis, discovered after a routine mammogram, in May on ABC's Good Morning America.
The star of Semi-Homemade Cooking, Lee also is a lifestyle guru, cookbook author and magazine publisher. She and Cuomo share a home in Westchester County, N.Y.