- Amanda Doyle has revealed that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer
- She needs to undergo a double mastectomy and breast reconstruction surgery
- She shares her health journey in hopes of raising awareness about prevention
Glennon Doyle’s sister, Amanda Doyle, has revealed that she was recently diagnosed with breast cancer.
In the May 14 episode of their podcast We can do hard thingsco-hosted with Glennon’s wife and football icon Abby Wambach, the 45-year-old detailed the “scary” health news.
“Three weeks ago I was informed that the biopsy I did revealed breast cancer. The first few weeks were like a roller coaster: ‘What does this mean? How bad is it? What’s the forecast?’ All of that,” she shared. “It’s just kind of stupid. I don’t know if people are ever surprised to learn something like this.”
Amanda explained that her friend died of cancer six months ago and she began to worry about how terrible it was for many people who were diagnosed with an advanced disease.
“I just remember thinking over and over what an absolute horse that is and why I don’t think it makes sense for people to only find out about their cancer when it’s too late,” she said.
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Amanda decided to be proactive and get genetic testing. And when her results “scared me,” she visited a cancer prevention facility. It was there that Amanda learned she had a higher risk of cancer.
“Because of the density of my breasts and because of our family history, they had me at three times the average chance of developing cancer at some point in my life,” she said on the show.
With that information, Amanda was told to get a basic MRI. Despite an annual mammogram, cancer was detected and she was diagnosed shortly thereafter.
“I was just sitting by the side of the road with my cell phone and it was very creepy and weird,” she recalled when she learned the news while on a family vacation. “I remember saying, ‘Shit, I saved my life.'”
“I was so angry and frustrated and I just didn’t believe it worked like that. You get sick or feel severe pain or a tumor breaks a bone in your body and that’s how you find out you have cancer,” she continued. “I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude that that wasn’t the case and that what I really didn’t want to happen wasn’t going to happen.”
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After being diagnosed with breast cancer, Amanda was given a “very good prognosis”. But after many more tests, she learned that it was not a candidate for a lumpectomy and would require a mastectomy.
Amanda said in the podcast that she will undergo a double mastectomy and breast reconstruction in a week. After the procedure, they will find out if radiation or other treatments will be needed.
Amanda noted that because she caught it early, doctors insisted her cancer was “not a threat to my life at all.” She also urged others not to go for regular screenings and promised to talk more about breast cancer prevention on the show.
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Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the United States, other than skin cancer. According to the National Cancer Institute, early detection with mammography allows patients to begin treatment and can reduce the likelihood of spread.
The US Preventive Services Task Force states that women should have regular mammograms once they turn 40.
Health officials also advise women of all ages to practice “breast self-awareness,” which means becoming familiar with how one’s own breasts normally look and feel, so they’ll be more likely to recognize something unusual when they do a breast self-examination.
On May 14, Amanda also posted a video on her Glennon and Abby’s Instagram pages about her health.
“I learned from Glennon that there is power in sharing from a messy environment and not waiting to be on the other side of things. And we’re certainly not on the other side of this, but we’re going to get there,” she said in the video.
“In the meantime, I want to make sure that all of you who are going through this know that you are seen and honored. And I also want to do everything I can to try and prevent other people from having to go through this.”
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education