Actress Christina Applegate recently opened up about her breast cancer diagnosis back in 2008. “I think when you get diagnosed with cancer, there’s such a sense of loneliness, but we need to know as people going through this is that you’re not alone,” the actress said during a shoot for her new PSA for Stand Up to Cancer and Cancer Treatment Centers America.

Applegate underwent a bilateral mastectomy, but she realized right away that she doesn’t have to go through this alone. She found support from some new friends and fellow cancer survivors that she met through physicians. “Our doctors understood that we, as cancer survivors or patients, are the ones that really understand one another on a deep cellular level,” she said. “I had these three strangers in my life who I called up at any time of the night and they would be there for me and answer any questions that I have.”

Applegate also revealed in the interview that she has maintained contact with her “three survivor friends”. “I always get really nervous right before I get on the phone, because I think that this person might need to hear something different than the girl I talked to two weeks ago. But the one thing that helped me was, ‘I’m here for you,’ so that you never feel alone,” said the 42-year-old star.

Rusty Robertson, co-founder of Stand Up to Cancer, had nothing but kind words for Applegate’s involvement in the new PSA. “We are so honored to have a survivor as inspiring as Christina participating in this PSA campaign. Her personal story is incredibly powerful and a source of hope for those in the same situation. This collaboration with Cancer Treatment Centers of America will be a great resource for anyone that is dealing with the anxiety, distress and grief associated with a cancer diagnosis,” said Robertson.

Applegate has been cancer-free since her mastectomy.