Celebrating the Joys of Life. Acknowledging Milestones After Cancer
Journalist Katie Couric, 67, excitedly awaits the birth of her first grandchild just weeks away. She celebrated a baby shower with her daughter Ellie, but the baby’s gender has not been publicly revealed just yet.
The birth of a grandchild is a milestone moment in life many cherish. However, for cancer survivors like Couric, milestone moments tend to have more significant meaning.
Reaching milestones during or after a cancer battle is a big deal. Milestones may include things like getting engaged, reaching another birthday, or the looming birth of a new baby. These moments tend to have added meaning after a diagnosis compared to previously. Hence, taking them all in is important, and celebrating all you’ve overcome is important.
Couric has shared many vulnerable and candid moments, including her breast cancer diagnosis in 2022 during a “Today Show” segment. Since her diagnosis, she’s been a staunch advocate for breast cancer.
Couric’s advocacy touch points include early detection and adherence to breast cancer screening guidelines. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommends women begin screening for breast cancer at age 40. Women should talk with their doctor to learn about their cancer risk and assess when is a good time to start annual mammograms.
Women at higher risk of breast cancer, such as possessing the BRCA gene mutation or having a family history of cancer, should talk with their doctor about beginning screening younger than 40.
Journalist Katie Couric, 67, excitedly awaits her new grandbaby to be born in a matter of weeks. Couric shared joyful photos of her daughter Ellie’s baby shower, which she described as a “celebration of love and friendship.”
Ellie’s child will be Couric’s first grandchild. She’s eagerly awaited these cherished moments since she learned her daughter was pregnant last year. The birth of a grandchild is a milestone moment most people hold in high regard. However, as a cancer survivor, milestone moments tend to have more significant meaning.
Cancer warriors tend to gain an added sense of gratitude along their cancer journeys. When milestone moments arise, either during or after a cancer battle, they have a more significant meaning.
(Photo by Andrew Eccles/Katie Couric Media)
According to Cancer.net, patients and their support groups filled with loved ones may engage in some activities to help recognize and celebrate memorable milestones. These activities include planning a nice dinner or party-like gathering and spending time donating money or volunteering to a cancer charity. Perhaps the way you memorialize your cancer milestone could be independent of others. Examples include a solitary walk-in nature and allowing your senses to take hold while you reflect.
Katie Couric’s Cancer Journey
Couric was diagnosed in June 2022 but revealed her cancer to the world during Breast Cancer Awareness Month. She was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer, specifically stage 1A.
WATCH: Understanding stage zero breast cancer.
“I was nervous about it. I waited a few days so I could process it and really understand what we were dealing with,” Couric said to “Today” at the time.
Dr. Michael Zeidman, assistant professor of surgery at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, tells SurvivorNet that stage 1 is divided into two subcategories, 1a and 1b. Stage 1a breast cancer means the cancer hasn’t spread outside the breast. Stage 1b means there’s no tumor in the breast; instead, small groups of cancer cells are found in the lymph nodes. Stage 1b can also mean there’s a tumor in the breast and small groups of cancer cells in the lymph nodes. Stage 1 also means the cancer was caught very early, he says.
She underwent surgery and radiation therapy to treat the cancer a few months after her diagnosis.
WATCH: How enhanced mammograms help women with dense breasts.
Perhaps equally as important is she learned more about her breast during her cancer journey. She has dense breasts, meaning more fibroglandular tissue and less fatty breast tissue exist.
Couric says she receives additional screening alongside her mammogram. She also gets an ultrasound. A breast ultrasound can supplement a regular mammogram in women with dense breasts.
Couric has used her public platform to advocate cancer awareness and promote healthy living. More recently, she partnered with the wife of the late Alex Trebek, who passed away of pancreatic cancer. Couric and Jean Trebek kickstarted the “Alex Trebek Fund,” created to help support research into pancreatic cancer.
Couric also promotes breast cancer screenings. She tends to draw added attention to women with dense breasts, which can be trickier to catch without undergoing enhanced screening.
More Resources for Women with Dense Breast
Breast cancer screening methods all aim to look for lumps in the breast and signs of cancer. The medical community has a consensus that women between 45 and 54 have annual mammograms. However, an independent panel of experts called the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) is saying that women should start getting mammograms every other year at the age of 40, suggesting that this lowered the age for breast cancer screening could save 19% more lives.
Dr. Jeannie Shen, medical director of the Breast Program at Huntington Hospital, an affiliate of Cedars-Sinai, told SurvivorNet that she agrees with starting mammogram screenings for women with an average breast cancer risk at age 40.
The new recommendations apply to women with an average risk of breast cancer, including people with a family history of the disease and risk factors like dense breasts. Dense breasts mean you have more fibroglandular tissue and less fatty tissue in your breasts. The density can make detecting cancer more difficult for a routine mammogram. To screen dense breasts more closely, a 3D mammogram is often used, which looks at the breast tissue in several layers.
“With digital mammography and 3D tomosynthesis, we’re taking thin slices through the breast tissue, like slices of a loaf of bread,” Dr. Connie Lehman, the Chief of the Breast Imaging Division at Massachusetts General Hospital, tells SurvivorNet.
However, she disagrees that screening occurs every other year between 40 and 50, when “interval cancers (cancers which develop between screening mammograms) are more common.”
For women aged 55 and older, the American Cancer Society recommends getting a mammogram every other year. However, women in this age group who want added reassurance can still get annual mammograms.
How a Woman’s Breast Cancer Risk Factor Into Screening Decisions?
A woman is considered to be at average risk if she doesn’t have a personal history of breast cancer, a strong family history of breast cancer, a genetic mutation known to increase the risk of breast cancer, such as a BRCA gene mutation, or a medical history including chest radiation therapy before the age of 30.
Experiencing menstruation at an early age (before 12) or having dense breasts can also put you into a high-risk category. If you are at a higher risk for developing breast cancer, you should begin screening earlier.
What To Ask Your Doctor
If you have been diagnosed with breast cancer, you may have questions about keeping your strength through treatment. Here are a few questions to help you begin the conversation with your doctor:
What treatment will I be receiving?
What side effects are associated with this treatment?
Are there steps I can take daily to help minimize these side effects?
What physical activity routine do you recommend for me during treatment?
Do you have recommendations for someone who doesn’t particularly enjoy exercise?
Can you recommend a dietician who can help me with healthy eating tips and weight maintenance?
I’ve been having trouble sleeping. Do you have any treatment recommendations?
Kavontae Smalls is a writer and reporter for SurvivorNet. Read More
Breast Cancer: Prevention and Screening
If you have questions about when to get mammograms, why there is debate over screening, and what it means to get called back after a mammogram, this short series should be helpful.
