The Bachelorette's The Bachelorette's Katie Thurston has revealed she has been diagnosed with breast cancer.
The reality star, who is engaged to comedian Jeff Arcuri, wrote of her diagnosis: "I experienced a range of emotions over the past two weeks. Despair. Anger. Sadness. Denial. And then strength. Purposeful. Ready. I cried a lot. I tried to even make a video instead of this post and couldn’t."
She went on to thank Jeff for his "selfless love".
© Katie ThurstonThe 34-year-old took to Instagram on Saturday February 15 to reveal that she spent her Valentine's Day celebration "coordinating a place to live as I have to go back to LA for more testing and treatment".
"Yesterday I saw all the couples post their Valentines Day celebrations. I felt envious if I’m being honest," she wrote, sharing that Jeff and she enjoyed a break to Hawaii as they planned to travel the world before "planting roots together in NYC finally".
"But instead, my Vday was spent coordinating a place to live as I have to go back to LA for more testing and treatment. I used my morning to figure out insurance for NYC and laws on preexisting conditions. I scheduled appointments for another biopsy, fertility, mental health, surgery, as well as meeting with my team to discuss the overall treatment plan, which will include chemo."
Katie added: "But one thing I did early on was search other stories like mine. Other young women with breast cancer. Invasive ductal carcinoma. Mastectomy. Pregnancy after breast cancer. All of their stories helped. So I intend to be the same for others. This is day one of sharing and is going to be a long one. This first step of acceptance of my reality was the hardest. But I am ready to fight this."
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers for women in America, accounting for about 30% of all new female cancers each year.
In recent years, incidence rates have increased by 1% per year, particularly among women under the age of 50.
Catching cancer early is crucial to recovery which is why knowing how and why to check your breasts is vital.
Awareness around checking your breasts has been increased greatly by a number of female celebrities, such as Katie, who have used their platform to raise awareness around the importance of women checking their own breasts, attending their mammograms, and seeing a specialist if at all concerned with any changes.
Katie, 34, was a contestant on season 25 of The Bachelor and the star of The Bachelorette’s 17th season. She was a fan favorite for her sex positivity and willingness to discuss difficult conversation with the men around consent.
