Katie Couric’s Most ‘Nervous Moment:’ Telling Her Daughters She had Cancer– The Trauma From Losing Their Dad– How To Have Hard Conversations With Kids

Couric has two daughters, Ellie and Caroline, who were “incredibly supportive” in the weeks and months following the veteran journalist’s diagnosis. Carrie reportedly went with Couric as she underwent a lumpectomy. A lumpectomy is surgery to remove cancer or abnormal tissue from the breast. It’s also known as breast-conserving surgery because, unlike mastectomy, only the tumor and some of the surrounding tissues are removed.

Couric revealed more details on how she told her girls she had cancer in a personal essay on her website.

“I didn’t want to call Ellie and Carrie until I had a better idea of my prognosis. Finally, four days after I was diagnosed, I FaceTimed each of them,” Couris described, adding that she tried to be as reassuring as possible.

“Their faces froze in disbelief. Then shock. Then they began to cry. “Don’t worry,” I told Carrie then Ellie, “I’m going to be fine,” trying to convince myself as well as them,” Couric said.

The resilient journalist said adding to the weight of it all, her daughters had already lost one parent, so reassuring them she was going to be okay was paramount.

Tips for Parents Struggling to Talk About Their Cancer

If parents are nervous before this conversation, licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Marianna Strongin said children can pick up on their emotions, so it may help to check in with yourself beforehand.

“If, at this moment, you are feeling scared, it might be helpful to calm and soothe yourself first before speaking to your child,” she said.

“Having these conversations may bring up deep emotions you may have stowed away. There is nothing wrong with showing our emotions to children as long as we can remain calm and give them a sense of safety,” she said.

Helping them feel safe can give them tools and strategies to manage their feelings about the situation.

“I love using my childhood self when explaining anything to children,” Strongin said. “I might say, ‘When I was your age, I remember feeling scared of many things, but one thing that always helped is taking three very deep breaths and telling my body it will be okay.’

“It is these kinds of dialogues that allow our children to feel safe and in control.”

There is no single way to discuss cancer with children, as widower John Duberstein explained to SurvivorNet.

Duberstein lost his wife to breast cancer, but the couple discussed her cancer with their children before she passed away.

“I think it’s really important to be open with the kids as much as you can, as much as you feel like they can handle,” Duberstein explained.

“When Nina started to look less like a cancer patient, the kids started to make unspoken assumptions about where Nina stood,” Duberstein said.

He went on to say as parents, they had to counter false narratives, which developed in their children’s heads about their mother’s prognosis. They had to remind them her cancer was not going away gently.

“It was hard for them to hear even though they’d already been prepared,” he further explained.

Couric’s Cancer Journey

Couric was diagnosed in June 2022 but revealed her cancer to the world during Breast Cancer Awareness Month last year. She was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer, specifically stage 1A.

“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.

WATCH: Why women should stay current with their mammogram screenings.

She underwent surgery and radiation therapy to treat the cancer a few months after her diagnosis.

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 receives an ultrasound. A breast ultrasound can supplement a regular mammogram in women with dense breasts.

WATCH: Understanding genetic testing for breast cancer.

The Value of Cancer Screenings

Mammograms are used to screen for breast cancer. Women who haven’t gone through menopause are encouraged to get a mammogram annually between the ages of 45 and 54. If you have experienced menopause, you can get a mammogram every two years.

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 a good time is to start annual mammograms.

WATCH: Understanding the BRCA gene mutation

“We all agree regular screening mammography saves lives,” Dr. Connie Lehman, a professor at Harvard Medical School, told SurvivorNet.

Suppose you fit into the high-risk category for breast cancer, meaning a close family relative has been diagnosed. People at higher risk may have the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutation or had radiation to the chest area when they were young. In cases like this, people in the high-risk category should begin annual mammograms at 30 years old.

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

---