Beloved journalist Katie Couric has revealed that she was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. In a new Instagram post, the former TODAY show host shared a photo of her sitting in a hospital, wearing a mask and white robe. “Every two minutes, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States. On June 21st, I became one of them,” she wrote in the post’s caption. “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. Head to the link in my bio or katiecouric.com to read my essay.”
Over at her Katie Couric Media website, the 65-year-old shares that it was her gynecologist who first urged her to get a new breast exam this year, as she’d not had one since 2020. In the early summer, she went to see a doctor and they discovered something concerning. “Your biopsy came back. It’s cancer. You’re going to be fine but we need to make a plan,” the doctor explained. Sharing how she first took the news, Couric writes, “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.”
Videos by PopCulture.com
After consultations with her doctors, Couric says they chose a treatment option that felt best. “We decided I would have ‘breast conservation’ surgery, aka a lumpectomy. She would make an incision right around my areola,” Couric explains. “She said she’d try to make sure any scars would be covered by my bathing suit – the furthest thing from my mind. Surgery would be followed by radiation and medication – specifically, something called an ‘aromatase inhibitor’ I’d need to take for five years.”
In July, Couric underwent surgery to have the cancerous tumor removed. The surgery was a success, and doctors also discovered that cancer had not spread to her lymph nodes. In early September, she began radiation therapy, which she recently finished.
Finally, after encouraging her readers to get their annual mammograms, Couric writes, “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.”