Today, presenter Jill Martin candidly shared a health update after undergoing a double mastectomy just weeks after her breast cancer diagnosis.
The TV personality, 47, previously revealed she was diagnosed with the potentially deadly disease after taking a saliva test at home to find out if she had BRCA genes.
She has since undergone the four-hour surgery and reappeared on the Today show on Monday to give fans an update on her medical journey that has been “emotionally earth shattering.”
Jill revealed that she would have to have further preventative surgeries to remove her ovaries and fallopian tubes and would have to take an anti-hormonal medication for the next five years.
Today, presenter Jill Martin candidly shared a health update after undergoing a double mastectomy just weeks after her breast cancer diagnosis
She reappeared on the Today show on Monday to give fans an update on her medical journey that was ’emotionally earth shattering’
Appearing on the show, Jill opened up, “I grew up with my mom saying you never know what’s going on with someone inside and so I’m like myself but inside it’s very heavy.”
“I had a double mastectomy and they found out I was stage two. They found an aggressive tumor that spread to one lymph node and so we removed some of the lymph nodes around it – so that’s the first step.
“I’m thankful we caught it and I’m thankful there’s a treatment plan for the future, but it’s a long road and emotionally it’s earth shattering.”
She revealed she’s still waiting for her next steps after taking a test to find out “if chemotherapy will help.”
Jill continued, “I’ll have one more preventative surgery on my ovaries and fallopian tubes and then I’ll be on an anti-hormone for five years, but it’s coming to an end – meaning this is curable.”
The presenter, who said she was aware of mammograms and sonograms, added: “If I had (done) this genetic test earlier I could have taken action and I feel I’m lucky to have caught it , but I don’t want anyone else going through the cancer part.”
She now urges everyone to do the same gene test because “doing this preventively is so much better than fighting cancer.”
When asked what got her through it, she said, “You can stay home and cry under the covers, or I can come to work and be myself.” I won’t let cancer take that away from me.’
Jill, who married her longtime partner in September 2022, said: ‘It hurts me the most when I (my family) see me go through this’
Breast cancer symptoms to look out for include lumps and swelling, dimpling of the skin, color changes, discharge, and rash or crusting around the nipple
At her performance, Jill prescribed a heartfelt first-person essay Today in which she thanked fans for their support.
She also candidly revealed, “Personally, I think it’s easier to go through it than to watch your loved one suffer; at least that’s my experience with my family. It hurts me the most to watch them see me go through this.
“It shakes a family and a household. The past three weeks felt like a lifetime.’
Jill added, “This all happened so fast for me. There wasn’t a lot of time to process up front, and a lot of that now happens afterwards. Cancer knocked me down. It has.
‘I used to jump out of bed every day to go to work, but now every day is a choice. Do I feel like staying under the covers and crying? Yes.
“But I did when I first started recovering… and little by little, like today, I choose to get up. I choose to fight. And I choose to use my strength and platform to do my best to destroy cancer.”
Last month, Jill burst into tears when she revealed the news of her diagnosis on Today
Jill’s post-mastectomy candid appearance on the Today show comes just four weeks after she first revealed the news of her diagnosis in another emotional essay and on an airing where she burst into tears as she opened up about her battle with breast cancer.
During the interview, Jill revealed that she was diagnosed after taking a saliva test at home to find out if she had BRCA genes.
A woman who has a BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene has a seven in 10 chance of developing breast cancer by age 80, according to the American Cancer Society.
Jill soon discovered that she is one of those women – even though her mother tested negative.
Unfortunately, the presenter is no stranger to breast cancer – her grandmother died of the disease and her mother underwent a double mastectomy after she was found to have ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS).
DCIS “means that the cells lining the milk ducts of the breast have become cancerous, but they have not spread to the surrounding breast tissue,” the American Cancer Society explains, and if left untreated, it can become the “invasive” disease .
Despite being “vigilant” with her screenings and her January mammogram being “clear,” Jill said her doctor’s suggestion that she have genetic testing “saved (her) life.”