Former co-host of the “Today” show Katie Couric is relying on her loved ones in the wake of her breast cancer diagnosis.
On Saturday, the 65-year-old took to her Instagram to encourage other women to get their mammograms for Breast Cancer Awareness month.
In her post, she also shared that her two daughters, Ellie, 31, and Caroline, 26 are her “two reasons” for continuing to make her health a priority.
“Hi friends. It’s the first day of Breast Cancer Awareness month, and the Screen Queen (lol) is here to remind you all to get your annual mammogram (and ask your radiologists if you have dense breasts and need additional screening),” she wrote.
Continuing, she wrote, “I was six months late getting mine and was shocked when I found out I had stage 1A breast cancer. Early detection is so important to a favorable outcome.”
She also encouraged others to help her “spread the word that screening saves lives,” this month.
“Share a photo with whoever or whatever inspires you to put your health first, and share it on social using the hashtag, #IScreenYouScreen. I will repost you! Here are two of my reasons… what are yours? #iscreenyouscreen,” she wrote in the caption of a photo of her and her two daughters.
On October 3, Couric shared in an interview with “Today” how she told her daughters the news that she had Stage A1 breast cancer.
“I was nervous about it. I waited a few days so I could process it and really understand what we were dealing with,” she said.
She added, “I told them, but I was very reassuring. But I saw on their faces, you know, it’s just hard to deliver that news, no matter how you do it. But I assured them that I was going to be fine.”
“And Carrie came with me when I got my lumpectomy, when I was being wheeled into the operating room. She was singing ‘The Arms of an Angel.’ She’s so funny. … but they’ve been incredibly supportive,” she shared.
On Sept 28, Couric revealed on her website that she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
In the essay titled, “Why NOT me?” She went into detail about the day she received her diagnosis.
“When I called back, Dr. Drossman picked up right away. “Your biopsy came back. It’s cancer. You’re going to be fine but we need to make a plan,” she shared.
Continuing, she wrote, “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.”
She also revealed that cancer runs in her family, including her mother, her father, and her sister. Her husband at the time died from colon cancer in 1998. Her now husband John Molner, whom she married in 2014, had a tumor removed a few months before they got married.
She concluded her post by writing that she will be “covering every aspect of breast cancer” during the month of October and “the latest diagnostic tools, treatments, and prevention strategies as well as sharing first-person accounts.”
“And of course, I’ll have more on what I’m learning as I navigate my own diagnosis. If you haven’t already, sign up for Wake-Up Call to better understand this potentially lifesaving information,” she wrote.
