Katie Couric announces her breast cancer diagnosis

Couric has been a public advocate for preventive screenings since her first husband, Jay Monahan, died of colon cancer in 1998, when he was 42. In 2000, while working on “Today”, Couric I got a colonoscopy on the air To encourage viewers to do so as well. studies have found that the segment led to a significant rise in colonoscopy; On Wednesday, Couric said the rate was up 20 percent.

More than a decade ago, Couric co-founded Stand Up to Cancer. In 2018, she accompanied TV host Jimmy Kimmel on his first colonoscopy, which is also Aired on its late night show.

In addition to Monahan, Couric’s sister Emily and mother-in-law Carol died of various types of cancer. Couric stated that “there have been better outcomes for others in my family,” including her mother, who has maintained non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma for “a decade,” and her dadwho have had prostate cancer. Couric’s current husband, John Mullner, had a liver tumor removed shortly before their marriage in 2014.

“But breast cancer — this was a new cancer; I became practically an expert in colon and pancreatic cancer, but no one in my family had ever had breast cancer,” she recalls responding to her diagnosis. “During that 24-hour whirlwind, I discovered that 85 percent of the 264,000 American women diagnosed each year in this country have no family history. I obviously have a lot to learn.”

Couric said she had a lump removed from her breast in mid-July and started radiation a few weeks ago. Tuesday saw her final run: “I was warned that I might get tired and my skin might turn a little pink. I wrote……my left breast looks like I’ve been sunbathing topless, but other than that, I felt fine.”

Hitting a similar tone to what actress Jane Fonda announced Diagnosis of non-Hodgkin lymphoma This month, Couric noted that she felt “lucky” to get good care. I felt “grateful and guilt – and outrage for having a realistic class system when it comes to health care in America.”

She concluded the post by urging readers to schedule their annual mammograms, which they missed by just six months, and see if they might need additional checkups.

She wrote, “To reap the benefits of modern medicine, we need to stay ahead of our shows, advocate for ourselves, and ensure that everyone has access to diagnostic tools that can well save their lives.”