'I felt sick and the room started to spin': Katie Couric reveals breast cancer diagnosis
Popular television news presenter Katie Couric has revealed that she is being treated for breast cancer. The journalist shared in her Instagram post that she was diagnosed with the deadly disease in June this year and underwent surgery in July. Couric had lost her first husband to colon cancer in 1998, her sister from pancreatic cancer, and her mother-in-law passed away because of ovarian cancer.
She urged women all over the US and the world to get their mammograms done regularly. "Please get your annual mammogram. I was six months late this time. I shudder to think what might have happened if I had put it off longer. But just as importantly, please find out if you need additional screening," she wrote.
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The 65-year-old further talked about how she got to know about having cancer, thanks to her regular medical examination. Couric shared that she had been getting her mammogram and a breast sonogram did regularly, since some "abnormalities" can’t be detected through naked eyes.
When the biopsy report came, the news presenter had a hard time processing its results, "I felt sick and the room started to spin. I was in the middle of an open office, so I walked to a corner and spoke quietly, my mouth unable to keep up with the questions swirling in my head. 'What does this mean? Will I need a mastectomy? Will I need chemo? What will the next weeks, months, even years look like?'"
The former ‘Today’ show presenter also considered the fact that this disease runs in her family. Couric wrote, "Why would I be spared? My reaction went from 'Why me?' to 'Why not me?'" She then talked about the importance of "insurance companies and the role of potentially lifesaving breast ultrasounds."
"I can't tell you how many times during this experience I thanked God that it was 2022. And how many times I silently thanked all the dedicated scientists who have been working their asses off to develop better ways to analyze and treat breast cancer. But to reap the benefits of modern medicine, we need to stay on top of our screenings, advocate for ourselves, and make sure everyone has access to the diagnostic tools that could very well save their life," she added.
Couric underwent radiation therapy on September 7, and her last session was on Tuesday, September 27.