TV journalist Joan Lunden, 72, was diagnosed with stage 2 triple-negative breast cancer in 2014.
Since triple-negative breast cancer is constantly unresponsive to certain targeted therapies, including hormone therapy or HER2-targeted agents like Herceptin, chemotherapy is typically the treatment given.
Lunden and her husband Jeff Konigsber, who supported her through her cancer journey, celebrated their 23rd wedding anniversary.
He has said he was “amazed” and “in awe” by the incredible strength she showed during her battle.
It is important for cancer warriors during their fight to have a strong support system. Having a partner, friend, or family member by your side to help care for and support you through a health struggle can be advantageous.
TV journalist Joan Lunden, 72, is celebrating 23 years of marriage to her beloved and supportive husband, Jeff Konigsberg, who was by her side every step of the way as she battled stage 2 triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease.
“My husband, Jeff, has been my rock over this past year. And he always possesses the ability to find humor in even the most trying times,” Lunden previously said.
In her latest Instagram post, Lunden dedicated a special message to her husband accompanied by a photo of her in a beautiful wedding dress. The cute couple stared at each other eyes locked with big bright smiles bounding them together.
“He had me at hello!! It was on this day in 2000 that I married Jeff Konigsberg, and he has kept that exuberant smile on my face ever since. I consider myself very lucky to have found such a wonderful person to share my life,” Lunden said.
Lunden was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014, and two years after her diagnosis, Konigsberg shared how breast cancer brought out the best in his wife.
“I was amazed, but I shouldn’t have been amazed because that’s Joan,” Konigsberg said at a 2016 event.
During his speech, he recalled the absolute strength Lunden showed in the face of cancer.
“Last June, Joan goes for her routine mammogram, and it wasn’t routine, and I was there with her to be her support and, typical Joan, she looks at me and says, ‘My father was a cancer surgeon, my father saved lives. I can do this, I don’t have his set of skills and I can’t do what he did, but this is my platform, and I can help other women, I can be there for other people,” Konigsberg said.
WATCH: Joan Lunden Throws It All Out There
Lunden’s Breast Cancer Journey
Lunden was diagnosed with stage 2 triple-negative breast cancer, which means Lunden’s cancer was not being fueled by any of the three main types of receptors: estrogen, progesterone, or the HER2 protein.
Since triple-negative breast cancer is constantly unresponsive to certain targeted therapies, including hormone therapy or HER2-targeted agents like Herceptin, chemotherapy is typically the treatment and there are several options.
“Any triple-negative cancer that’s over half a centimeter or has lymph node involvement needs chemotherapy,” Dr. Julie Nangia, medical oncologist at Baylor College of Medicine said.
Triple-negative breast cancer is an aggressive form of the disease and if the cancer is advanced, your doctor may also recommend participation in a clinical trial that involves immunotherapy or targeted therapies.
“She went through chemo and if I couldn’t be at a session, Joan’s girls would be there… it’s all about the support, it’s about the family, it’s about the community, it’s about loved ones,” Konigsberg said while detailing Lunden’s breast cancer treatment.
Joan Lunder was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014. (Photo: Twitter/JoanLunden)
He described the community that Lunden created when she went in for treatment, always helping others to feel at ease through their own journeys.
“As Joan would go for a chemo session, she would go up to everybody else in the room who was receiving chemo, she wanted to know how they were doing and if they had that support. She just always cared about others,” he continued.
In an earlier interview with SurvivorNet, Lunden shared that she knew little about breast cancer before she was diagnosed with it.
WATCH: Joan Lunden Ages With Candor
“Candidly,” says Lunden, “I never thought I would be one of the women who would get breast cancer.”
“The fact that I didn’t understand the significance of dense breast tissue kind of just lit a fire in me and sent me on this mission to say, ‘Here I am a journalist, and how could I have been so uneducated about something so incredibly important,” she says.
Excluding skin cancers, breast cancer is the second-most common cancer in American women.
Two of the top risk factors for breast cancer are being a woman and getting older, with most breast cancer patients being diagnosed in women older than 50.
WATCH: Treatment Sequence for Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.
Power of a Supportive Spouse or Partner While Battling Cancer
“In life, we all want to share the good, we want to all share those happy moments, but you have to be able to get the curveball because the curveball is going to come,” Konigsberg said while describing the impact of Lunden’s cancer on the family.
Lunden and her husband Jeff Konigsberg went through breast cancer together and celebrated their 20th anniversary this year. (image: Instagram)
“It’s going to come to someone you know, or to somebody you love. We need to be there for each other, support each other and love each other and beat this horrible disease,” Konigsber added.
It is important for cancer warriors during their fight to have a strong support system. Having a partner, friend, or family member by your side to help care for and support you through a health struggle can be advantageous.
And when you take on a caregiving role, it’s necessary to understand your loved one’s diagnosis and assist them when following cancer-care instructions.
Dr. Jayanthi Lea, a gynecologic oncologist at UT Southwestern Medical Center, previously told SurvivorNet, “I encourage caregivers to come into visits with my patients because, in that way, the caregiver is also listening to the recommendations — what should be done in between these visits, any changes in treatment plans, any toxicities [side effects] that we need to look out for, changes in dietary habits, exercise, etc.”
“Caregiving is the most important job in the universe because you are there through the highs and lows,” Julie Bulger manager of the patient and family-centered care at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center told SurvivorNet.
WATCH: Joan Lunden Helps Best-selling author Laura Mortons Through Cancer
