Baywatch star Nicole Eggert has revealed that she was suddenly diagnosed with breast cancer after thinking she was going through menopause.
The 51-year-old actress - best known for playing Summer Quinn on the hit 1990s TV series - told PEOPLE she was diagnosed with stage 2 cribriform carcinoma last month after seeking medical advice for her symptoms.
Eggert opened up about how she gained 25lbs in three months and had "terrible pain" in her left breast back in October. Afterward, she discovered a lump while checking her breasts and contacted her doctor for assistance.
"I immediately went to my general practitioner and she told me I had to immediately go get it looked at. But the problem was I just couldn't get an appointment. Everything was booked. So I had to wait until the end of November to get it done," she shared.
The former Charles in Charge star had a mammogram and underwent three biopsies to diagnose her cancer.
However, she still doesn't know whether the disease has metastasized and spread to other areas of her body, and will only find out after undergoing surgery and a subsequent course of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
She said of the lump: "I can definitely feel it. It's there. It needs to be taken out. So it's just a matter of do I have to do treatment before the surgery or can they perform the surgery and then I do the treatment after."
"I have panics where I'm like, just get this out of me," she admitted. "You sit there and it's in you and you're like, every second that passes and it's inside of me. It's growing, and you're just like, you just want it out."
The Blown Away star is no stranger to what a diagnosis entails as her father Rolf had skin cancer while her mother Gina had colon cancer. She shared that she is trying to stay positive but as a single mum her "biggest fear" is what happens to her children Keegan, 12, and Dilyn, 25.
"[Dilyn’s] an adult, but I have a 12-year-old at home where I'm the only caregiver. I have no family. I have nothing," she said, reflecting on "the horror" on Keegan’s face when she told her about her diagnosis. "It immediately made me realize, there's just no succumbing to this. This is something I have to get through. This is something that I have to beat. She needs me more than anything and anybody."
She added that she feels very "overwhelmed" but she is "doing everything I can not to spiral".
One of Eggert's friends, Mindy Molinary, created a GoFundMe page to financially support the actress on her forthcoming health battle. So far, $15,121 has been raised of the $100,000 target.
In the description box, Molinary wrote that Eggert is a single mom who has "had to struggle financially to raise her two daughters," adding: "She still has a little one at home and she is terrified of not being able to afford the treatments and surgery necessary while also keeping a roof over their heads."
"She’s lost both her parents and doesn’t have any family to lean on or help her with this situation," she continued, sharing that the money will go to expensive imaging such as CTs, MRIs, Ultrasounds, treatments, medications, and visits to several doctors like oncologists, surgeons.
Molinary penned that Eggert is "tenacious" and always found a way to get by but this situation is different as she'll be unable to work while undergoing surgery and treatments.
"She has a long, scary road ahead and has a terrible time asking for help," she wrote. "I implore you to help my friend afford her medical bills as well as feel secure that she won't be left without a home for her family during this extremely trying time."
According to Molinary, the Baywatch alum intends to "start a non-profit for single parents like herself, without families" after she is on the road to recovery.
"I absolutely 100% want to start a non-profit for other single parents such as myself, who don't have any family, don't have anybody to turn to,” Eggert explained to PEOPLE. "They take on all this by themselves because they love their kids so much, but when something happens to them, then what?"
"I've gotten such an outpouring of love and it makes you feel so good. It changes your whole day and other people just don't have that. So I really want to figure out a way to give back to other parents that are in my situation that aren't as fortunate," she concluded.
You can donate to Eggert's GoFundMe here.
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