Katie Couric Reveals Breast Cancer Diagnosis
Former Today and CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric has announced on Instagram that she was diagnosed with breast cancer after having a mammogram and biopsy in June 2022, revealing that she found out on the day of her 8th wedding anniversary with John Molner.
“Every two minutes, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States. On June 21st, I became one of them,” Couric wrote in her social media post. “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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The long-time journalist and presenter directed fans to her website, where she shared a powerful personal essay about her diagnosis. “I felt sick and the room started to spin,” she recalled upon hearing the news. “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.”
She revealed that it brought back memories of others in her family who have suffered from cancer, including her first husband, Jay Monahan, who died from colon cancer in 1998 at just 42, and her sister Emily, whose pancreatic cancer would later kill her at 54.
“My mood quickly shifted from disbelief to resignation,” she continued. “Given my family’s history of cancer, why would I be spared? My reaction went from ‘Why me?” to “Why not me?'”
Couric said she told her two daughters four days after discovering the news, writing, “I FaceTimed each of them… Their faces froze in disbelief. Then shock. Then they began to cry. ‘Don’t worry,’ I told Carrie then Ellie, ‘I’m going to be fine,’ trying to convince myself as well as them. They’d already lost one parent. The idea of losing another was unfathomable.”
Her surgery took place on July 14 — the tumor extracted was “bigger than the doctors expected,” she wrote, “roughly the size of an olive.” Then her radiation treatment began on September 7. “Yesterday was my final round,” she continued. “My left breast does look like I’ve been sunbathing topless, but other than that, I’ve felt fine.”
“Why am I telling you all this? Well, since I’m the “Screen Queen” of colon cancer, it seemed odd to not use this as another teachable moment that could save someone’s life,” she added. “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.”
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