‘Married to Medicine’ Star and Two-Time Breast Cancer Survivor Dr. Jackie Walters, 67, Explains How Powerful a ‘Positive Attitude’ Can Be As She Endured Treatment and a Miscarriage

Despite her medical expertise, Dr. Walters says the most powerful tool she had during both of her breast cancer diagnoses wasn’t a treatment necessarily, it was her mindset.

“Any physician will tell you that a positive attitude truly has an impact on how well you respond to treatment,” she told The Atlanta Voice.

“I knew that if I looked good, I would feel good, and if I felt good, my treatment would go well.” She added that many women she met during treatment didn’t share that philosophy, and watching their spirits fade “broke her heart.”

Dr. Walters was first diagnosed with early‑stage breast cancer in 2004 after a routine mammogram, which screens for breast cancer.

“I went in for a mammogram and received a phone call that changed my life forever,” she explained to Bravo TV, that she was diagnosed with Invasive Lobular Carcinoma.

She underwent a lumpectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation for treatment.

A lumpectomy removes the tumor and a margin of surrounding tissue, preserving most of the breast.

Chemotherapy, which travels through the bloodstream to kill cancer cells, can be highly effective but also brings significant side effects.

For many women with early‑stage disease, surgery is the first step, often followed by radiation if they choose breast‑conserving surgery.

Four years later, she heard the words “breast cancer” again — this time requiring a double mastectomy. “The breast cancer diagnosis would change my life forever,” she told Bravo.

Her second diagnosis came with another heartbreak: she suffered a miscarriage shortly after treatment.

“I had no family history of breast cancer, so how did it choose me? That will always be an unanswered question,” she said.

Across her 13 years on “Married to Medicine,” viewers have seen glimpses of her disciplined, health‑focused lifestyle.

“I am determined to live every day healthy to keep my diagnosis in the past and not present,” she said.

“I don’t drink alcohol, smoke, or overindulge in fatty foods. Not because I’m ‘Mother Teresa‑like,’ but because that increases my chances of recurrence.”

Managing Recurrence Risk

“Once a patient has finished his or her active therapy for breast cancer, we will often refer to that time as breast cancer survivorship,” says Dr. Erica Mayer, a breast cancer medical oncologist at Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

“This is a time when patients are still being actively monitored by their treatment team, not only to ensure that they remain healthy and cancer-free in the years ahead, but also to make sure that they have recovered from any side effects of their initial treatment, and that they are pursuing healthy behaviors for example, getting regular exercise, eating a healthy diet, and keeping up with all their other routine medical care.”

To reduce the chances of recurrence, patients are urged to:

Follow Your Treatment Guidelines.

“The best way to reduce your risk of recurrence with breast cancer is to follow treatment guidelines and complete the course of treatment that’s given,” says Dr. Elisa Port, a surgical oncologist specializing in breast cancer at Mount Sinai, to SurvivorNet.

“So the challenge is to work with every individual person to make sure we give her the best chance of getting through these treatments and enjoying the benefits of these treatments, which is the lowest rate of cancer coming back,” Port says.

Limit Alcohol.

Port says the other lifestyle factor that may increase one’s risk of breast cancer recurrence is heavy alcohol intake.

Eat a Healthy Diet and Exercise.

Dr. Elizabeth Comen, a medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and medical advisor to SurvivorNet, notes that while exercise is well known for supporting weight loss, research shows it may also play a meaningful role in lowering breast cancer risk.

She explains that excess weight can create chronic inflammation in the body, and fat cells can produce estrogen — a hormone that, when present at high levels over a woman’s lifetime, can raise the likelihood of developing breast cancer.

Importantly, she emphasizes that physical activity doesn’t have to be extreme or strenuous to be beneficial. A light walk can also suffice.

“Exercise doesn’t have to mean suddenly training for a triathlon or doing something completely new,” Dr. Comen says.

For many patients, she adds, a cancer diagnosis can become a catalyst to prioritize their health and build sustainable habits that support their well‑being.

Maintain a Healthy Weight.

Dr. Sairah Ahmed, an associate professor in cancer medicine at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, tells SurvivorNet that staying as physically strong as possible can make a meaningful difference for people preparing to start treatment.

“The more physically fit you are going through your cancer treatment, the fewer side effects you’ll have and the faster you’ll get back to your normal quality of life,” she explains.

She also stresses that well‑being isn’t just about the body. Emotional resilience plays a major role for both patients and the people supporting them.

“Stress control is often something that isn’t talked about enough, but there is a lot of stress — for the patient going through cancer and for the family who has to support them,” she says.

Understanding Early-Stage Breast Cancer Treatment: What Comes After Diagnosis

Early-stage breast cancer typically means the tumor is small and hasn’t spread to the lymph nodes. For stage one breast cancer, the first step is to remove the cancer. If a woman undergoes a lumpectomy, radiation therapy is often recommended afterward.

However, treatment plans aren’t one-size-fits-all.

WATCH: Early-Stage Breast Cancer Treatment

Personal details like a woman’s age may help determine if radiation is needed or not. Some women, based on tumor size, family history, or personal preference, may choose a more aggressive approach—such as a mastectomy to remove the entire breast.

If surgery is selected as a treatment option, once it is complete, a pathologist then examines the removed tissue to determine whether additional treatment is needed. This helps determine if surgery managed to remove all of the cancer or if some is still around. The next phase is crucial in reducing the risk of recurrence.

Additional treatment options include radiation, chemotherapy, and hormone therapy.

Common treatment options for early-stage breast cancer include:

• Surgery (lumpectomy or mastectomy)
• Radiation therapy
• Chemotherapy
• Hormone therapy

“Even women with early-stage breast cancer ideally need some form of therapy after surgery to help prevent the cancer from coming back,” Dr. Comen emphasized.

Chemotherapy stops cancerous cells from growing, dividing, and spreading to other organs. It works by traveling through the bloodstream, killing cancerous cells. However, the process also impacts healthy cells, leading to side effects.

• Chemotherapy side effects may include:
• Nausea and/or vomiting
• Fatigue
• Neuropathy may bring weakness in the hands or feet and difficulty with motor skills.
• Hair loss

If losing your hair is a concern for you before cancer treatment, know you have options like wigs, hats, wraps, and scarves, among other things.

Another option that can minimize hair loss is cryotherapy, “just a fancy way for saying cold therapy,” says Dr. Renata Urban, gynecologic oncologist at the University of Washington in Seattle.

Cryotherapy involves wearing cold caps or special cooling caps before, during, and after each chemotherapy treatment.

What to Expect from a Mastectomy

When you’re faced with possibly getting a mastectomy, many factors go into the decision-making process, such as the size and features of the tumor and your family history. Some patients may opt for a lumpectomy instead, which is when doctors remove just the cancer and an area of healthy tissue around it rather than the entire breast or breasts.

Some women decide to have their breasts reconstructed after undergoing a mastectomy and have implants put in right away, while others don’t have reconstruction at all.

WATCH: Regaining your sense of self after reconstruction.

Dr. Port added that most women opt to have some sort of reconstruction. The length of these surgeries can vary greatly. When implants are used, the procedure can take two to three hours (so the total surgery time would be around five hours). There is also the option to take one’s own tissue (usually from the belly area) and transfer it into the breast area during reconstruction.

How to Manage the Grueling Side Effects from Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is an effective tool for oncologists to help treat cancer by stopping cancerous cells from growing, dividing, and spreading to other organs. Chemo works by traveling through the bloodstream, killing cancerous cells. However, the process also impacts healthy cells, leading to side effects.

Patients almost universally experience fatigue, often alongside gastrointestinal side effects, such as nausea. Doctors have many effective medications to combat chemo-induced nausea. “But mitigating that fatigue often depends on the patient,” says Dr. Urban.

WATCH: What You Think You Know About Chemotherapy Side Effects May Be Wrong

“Neuropathy is probably one of the most challenging side effects,” says Dr. Urban. Neuropathy results from damage to the peripheral nerves. It usually resolves after chemotherapy treatment, but sometimes symptoms can persist. While it’s typically characterized by numbness or a pins-and-needles sensation in the hands and feet, neuropathy can have several different symptoms, including:

• Weakness in the hands or feet
• Stabbing or burning pain in the hands or feet
• Difficulty gripping, such as when holding a fork
• Difficulty with fine motor skills, such as writing or buttoning a shirt

Nausea and vomiting are common side effects of chemotherapy. When chemotherapy affects the rapidly dividing cells in the stomach lining, the resulting cellular havoc in the gastrointestinal tract can lead to side effects such as nausea and vomiting. However, doctors can help patients mitigate the hit with various medications before, during, and after treatment.

“Part of the chemotherapy prescription includes a set regimen of anti-nausea medications,” says Dr. Urban. “We also ensure that patients have medications at home that they can use should they develop nausea after treatment.”

Hair loss is another side effect of chemotherapy.

WATCH: Coping with hair loss.

“For cancer patients, losing one’s hair can be unbelievably stressful. To start with, the dread of losing one’s hair can lead to some sleepless nights and feelings of anxiety,” Dr. Samantha Boardman, a New York-based psychiatrist and author, told SurvivorNet.

Chemotherapy can cause hair loss. It usually begins about three to four weeks after chemotherapy and continues throughout treatment.

This happens because this treatment targets quickly dividing cells throughout the body, including cancer cells and hair cells.

Most patients can expect regrowth four to six weeks after treatment. However, it is possible that when your hair grows back, you may notice some changes in its color and texture.

RELATED: How are chemotherapy side effects managed for ovarian cancer treatment?

Tips for Navigating Chemo Side Effects

Doctors don’t have an arsenal of prescription medications to combat fatigue. However, you can do several things to help minimize the hit and restore your energy.

• Exercise: While it may be counterintuitive, physical activity can help alleviate side effects, especially fatigue. “Although ovarian cancer is not common, we often draw upon the experience of patients with breast cancer and colon cancer, who have shown that physical activity can not only improve quality of life but may also have beneficial impacts on cancer outcomes,” Dr. Urban says.
• Eat well: Even though nausea may interfere with your ability to eat a healthy diet, it’s essential to ensure you’re eating appropriately, getting enough protein, and not losing weight. Not only will nourishing your body support your recovery, but it may also help you feel more energized.
• Sleep: Want to mitigate fatigue? Be sure to maintain your regular sleep-wake cycle while on treatment. Sticking to a set sleep schedule helps reduce fatigue by ensuring enough hours for your body to heal and restore itself each night. It may also help you recover more quickly by keeping energy levels high during the daytime.

Helping You Answer Your Cancer-Related Questions

To further help you on your cancer journey, explore SurvivorNet’s proprietary AI tool, “My Health Questions.”

WATCH: How One Cancer Survivor and Her Sister Used “My Health Questions” to Navigate Care

This powerful resource, embedded across the SurvivorNet website, was built to bridge that gap by offering on-demand explanations of treatment options, clinical trials, side effects, insurance concerns, and more. Users can ask questions conversationally, either by typing or using their voice, and receive answers tailored to their individual profiles. If patients don’t know where to start, we provide prompt questions to get them started.

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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