Simone Smith is sharing her story of her fight with cancer to help and inspire others who may be struggling through their battles. She's been in remission for 14 years now, but the wife of LL Cool J, real name Todd Smith, is partnering with her husband a few of their famous friends for the American Cancer Society campaign, "Beat Cancer Like a Boss." Celebrities including Mary J. Blige, Remy Ma, Salt-N-Pepa, Jhene Aiko, and Jordin Sparks have joined their fight.
In 2004, Simone was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer called chondrosarcoma. "I was working out with my trainer, walking, talking, not paying no mind, walked into the wastebasket and it hit that little knot," she told ET. "That sent me to the doctor, and that's when I found out I had a chondrosarcoma stage three tumor in my right tibia bone." She had her right tibia removed during a 15-hour surgery and it was replaced with her left fibula, a rod, screws, nails and micro veins from her other legs. "It was a two and a half year recovery, where I had to learn to walk again. I went from a wheelchair to two crutches, to one crutch to a cane."
LL and Simone have been married for 23 years and he made sure that he did everything to help aid in her recovery, including keeping negative energy out of their home and asking to give her one of his bones. "I remember sitting in the doctor's office, and he wanted to give his fibula bone...because he felt that his fibula bone would be bigger and stronger," she said.
"I learned that you got to be grateful, and you can't take things for granted. I learned that left turns could come, right turns could come," LL said. "You can't always see around every corner, but you just have to have faith and you have to have gratitude, you got to roll with humility, you got to believe. I believe in God strongly, and you got to believe in yourself too."
"Have faith," Simone shared. "Find your inner strength. Be confident."