In a personal essay Wednesday, Katie Couric shared that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and urged fans to keep up to date with their annual mammograms.
“Please request your annual mammogram. I was six months late this time. I shudder at the thought of what would have happened if I had delayed it longer. But just as importantly, please find out if you need additional screening,” the legendary journalist and author wrote.
A simple X-ray procedure that looks for early signs of breast cancer, annual mammograms are recommended for women age 40 or older.
Couric, who lost her first husband Jay Monahan to colon cancer in 1998, previously broadcast her experience with colonoscopy to raise awareness of the Today show in 2000. She intended to do the same with this mammogram screening, she says, until a suspicious spot made the doctor ask the film technician to cut the camera.
When the results of the biopsy came back a few days later, Couric got the news she feared: it was cancer.
“I felt sick and the room started spinning. I was in the middle of an open office, so I walked to a corner and spoke softly, my mouth couldn’t keep up with the questions spinning in my head,” she writes. “What does this mean? Do I need a mastectomy? Do I need chemo? What will the coming weeks, months, even years look like?“
Couric says she is grateful for modern medicine; Advocates for access to screening
After her diagnosis, Couric, 65, underwent a lumpectomy in July to remove the tumor, which she described as “about the size of an olive.”
Pathological results showed that her cancer was an easily treatable kind and was discovered in the early stages — and Couric says she’s very grateful for the modern medicine behind her prompt diagnosis.
“I can’t tell you how many times during this experience I thanked God that it was 2022. And how many times I have silently thanked all the dedicated scientists who have done their best to develop better ways to analyze and treat breast cancer. But to reap the benefits of modern medicine, we need to monitor our screenings, advocate for ourselves, and ensure that everyone has access to the diagnostic tools that could very well save their lives,” she wrote.
And Couric is adamant that regular mammograms should be accessible to anyone who needs them — financially or otherwise.
Although breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in the United States, Couric notes that “only 14 states and the District of Columbia require insurance companies to reimburse patients in whole or in part for the cost of potentially life-saving breast ultrasounds. “
“That means far too many women are not taking advantage of a technology that can help diagnose their breast cancer early, when it’s most treatable,” she added.
Read Couric’s full essay on: her website.