Katie Couric has announced that she has been undergoing treatment for breast cancer.
Sharing the devastating news with her Instagram followers, the 65-year-old former anchor of NBC's Today show revealed on Wednesday (September 28) that she is battling the disease, as a means of raising awareness for the approaching Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October.
Writing to her 1.5 million followers, Couric said: "Every two minutes, a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States. On June 21st, I became one of them.
"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."
Writing in an essay for her website, Couris revealed that she was alerted by her gynecologist that she was due for a mammogram. Despite thinking that she "just got one", she later learned that she hadn't had a mammogram since December 2020.
"I'm normally vigilant," she writes, describing herself as "bordering on neurotic about taking care of my health" -even moreso since losing her husband, Jay, to colon cancer back in 1998.
On June 20, Couric headed to her breast radiologist with the intention of recording the screening to share with my audience - something she had previously done with her colonoscopy back in 2000.
She writes that after that particular segment aired on the Today show, "the number of people getting colonoscopies increased by 20 percent".
"If I had forgotten to schedule a mammogram, this might be a helpful reminder for other people, too," she explains.
Couric revealed that she had requested for the technician to film the screening so that the footage could later be shared. However, after undergoing an additional screening, her doctor returned to the room and asked for the recording to be stopped.
"There’s something here that I’d like to check out," the doctor told the TV personality.
Despite suggesting that the results should be flagging scar tissue, Couric underwent a biopsy following the suggestion of her doctor.
After returning to work the next time, she received a text message that read: "Please call me in the office to discuss biopsy results. I tried calling you on your cell. Your mailbox is full."
Couric revealed that she called her doctor back immediately and was told: "Your biopsy came back. It’s cancer. You’re going to be fine but we need to make a plan."
The legendary presenter then revealed how she was facing multiple questions "swirling" in her head: "What does this mean? Will I need a mastectomy? Will I need chemo? What will the next weeks, months, even years look like?"
"During that 24-hour whirlwind, I found out that 85 percent of the 264,000 American women who are diagnosed every year in this country have no family history. I clearly had a lot to learn," she writes.
After working with her doctor to come up with a treatment plan, Couric underwent surgery on July 14. She later started radiation therapy on September 7.
Her last session was Tuesday (September 27).
This is a developing story, more to follow...