Katie Couric Reveals Breast Cancer Diagnosis
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Journalist Katie Couric has announced she is in the midst of a battle with breast cancer at the age of 65.
The longtime co-host of The Today Show revealed the diagnosis with an Instagram post on Wednesday, saying that she has known since late June.
Every two minutes, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States. On June 21st, I became one of them. As we approach #BreastCancerAwarenessMonth, I wanted to share my personal story with you all and encourage you to get screened and understand that you may fall into a category of women who needs more than a mammogram.
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Couric posted a longer essay detailing her journey on her personal website.
On the day of her diagnosis, June 21st, 2022, she was celebrating her eighth wedding anniversary to husband, John Molner.
Couric has been a longtime advocate for getting cancer screenings since her first husband, Jay Monahan, died from colon cancer in 1998.
Couric says that she had forgotten to get a mammogram since December 2020 and was heading into her June appointment with the intention of filming it for her followers.
You might remember I aired my colonoscopy on the TODAY show in 2000. After that segment, the number of people getting colonoscopies increased by 20 percent. If I had forgotten to schedule a mammogram, this might be a helpful reminder for other people, too.
At one point, after the scan was done, the doctor asked Couric to stop filming, she had some concerns she wanted to share.
The following day, Couric got the diagnosis.
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?
Couric said her mindset toward the diagnosis changed when she remembered her family’s history with cancer. “My reaction went from ‘Why me?’ to ‘Why not me?'” Couric said.
In July, Couric had a surgery to remove the cancerous tumor from her breast and she began radiation on September 7th.
She decided to share her journey ahead of Breast Cancer Awareness month and encouraged everyone to stay on top of their annual screenings.
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.
