‘The Bachelorette’ Star to Undergo Double Mastectomy

Katie Thurston is scheduled to undergo a double mastectomy amid her stage 4 breast cancer diagnosis. The Bachelorette alum revealed in an Instagram post that her surgery is scheduled for April 29.

A double mastectomy is the surgical removal of both breasts, often used to treat breast cancer present in both sides or to prevent high-risk individuals genetically prone to developing it. Angelina Jolie famously had one as a preventative measure. 

Thurston is pausing her cancer treatments amid her recovery, but will continue taking her hormone suppressions, which she says does a lot of the heavy lifting in her treatment. Removing the tumor she says is beneficial in fighting the cancer.

She’s also taking some time offline to focus on her health and habits, which she says will aid in her sleeping patterns. She’s looking to get back into meal prepping and/or working out.

While planning her wedding and family with comedian Jeff Arcuri, they decided to go for health exams. At the time, she found a lump in one of her breasts, though she was not worried as she had non-cancerous cysts on her breasts previously. Unfortunately, this time, the results were different, she told PEOPLE recently. 

The diagnosis was stage 4 breast cancer, which she says is technically incurable, but she refuses to say she has a terminal illness. However, tests indicate that her tumors are shrinking. 

And her family planning has not slowed down. What she calls “a fast-track cancer version of fertility treatment,” she and Arcuri have two frozen embryos banked. “We are living life,” she told PEOPLE. 

She says she didn’t know cancer was as common in people under 40. She’s now made it her mission to educate other women in her age range, and admits she wishes she had gotten her lump checked out sooner.