How Danielle Fishel Approached Talking About Her Breast Cancer Diagnosis with Her Husband and Kids

Danielle Fishel talks about telling her husband and their two young children that she was diagnosed with early stage breast cancer.

In one episode Amy & TJ podcast hosted by Amy Robach and TJ Holmes released on Sunday, October 20 A boy meets the world The alum, 43, recalled an important conversation she recently had with her husband Jensen Karp and sons Adler Lawrence, 5, and Keaton Joseph, 3.

Danielle Fishel from A boy meets the world She reveals that at the age of 43 she has an early stage of breast cancer

“It was hard for me to have to tell my husband,” said the actress, noting that Karp’s parents had already died.

“His mom died in 2022 from lung cancer and lived with us while she was going through chemotherapy and cancer treatment.”

Danielle Fishel with her son Adler, Jensen Karp, Mickey Mouse and her mom Jen FIshel.

Danielle Fishel on Instagram

“And my eldest son, Adler, was 3 years old when she passed away and was very close to her. And one of my big concerns when he asked, ‘Where did Grandma go? Why isn’t grandma here anymore?’ she said.

Fishel said talking about death with her eldest should be handled delicately.

Danielle Fishel thanks fans for ‘love and support’ after breast cancer diagnosis, urges people to ‘stay tuned’ with annual screening

“My big worry was that if we told him she was sick, he would think the next time she got a cold she was going to die, or that the next time mom or dad was sick, he would think we were going to die,” she said.

“And so I wanted to be honest with him about the fact that she had cancer and that cancer doesn’t always mean you’re going to die, but sometimes it does. And in my grandmother’s case, it was like that. And so, when I was diagnosed, my fear was that I’m usually so honest with my kids, but I can’t tell them that I have cancer.”

She never told her boys she had cancer, instead saying, “I had a boo boo surgically removed from my body and they had to be gentle with me.”

Danielle Fishel, September 2018.

Jon Kopaloff/Getty

For their family, playtime had to happen differently.

“I told them I love our bear hugs and I love to wrestle with you, but my boo boo means I have to be gentle. So you have to hug me from this side and eventually I’ll come back to wrestle with you.”

Adler noticed when she recovered enough to feel rough and asked if she was okay.

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“I was so happy to tell him that, yes, my boo boo was getting better,” she said. “My friends, my family, the breast cancer community, I’ve never felt more loved and supported than I have these past three months.”

Fishel recently told PEOPLE that she is “thrilled to be alive” since being diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) on July 22 following a routine mammogram.

“I felt healthy, I looked healthy. But I went for a mammogram and they said it looked suspicious and the results were abnormal,” she told PEOPLE. “I never expected them to find anything. It was really shocking.”

While Fishel may not be “thrilled” about some lingering side effects, she added, “I’m thrilled to be alive and thrilled that my cancer was caught early.”

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Source: HIS Education