Christina Applegate is the ultimate trouper.

After being diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year and undergoing treatment that included a double mastectomy, the Samantha Who? actress was on the set of her hit series in Los Angeles Tuesday.

Applegate tells the November 10 TV Guide—which features her on the cover—that she’s determined not to be defined by her battle with breast cancer. “I’m not a victim,” Applegate asserts.

Applegate asserts that dealing with the illness has given her a profound appreciation for the here and now.

“I started looking for a beach house the day I found out I had this little disease. You just kind of go, ‘What are you waiting for to get the things that you want and the things that you dream of?’” Christina recalls. “I don’t own tomorrow or yesterday—today is all I’ve got.”

Now that’s a philosophy worth embracing.

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