“Since it’s still officially Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I wanted to share that I have recently been diagnosed and am undergoing treatment for breast cancer,” she captioned the post.

“This has obviously been a huge shock, and I’m so grateful to have found it early.”

RELATED: Facing Breast Cancer Today, You Have Choices: Making Better-Informed Decisions After Active Treatment 

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The beloved model, who rarely opens up about her private life online and is known for he legendary gap-toothed smile, said she hoped speaking out would encourage others to get checked.

“I don’t often share my personal life online, but if this post will make just 1 person check their breasts, or make that appointment they’ve been putting off, it’s worth sharing,” she wrote. “Please don’t ignore changes to your body.”

Stone hasn’t shared details about her treatment, but finding breast cancer early, as she says she did, typically opens up more treatment options.

RELATED: Are You Just Finishing Treatment For Early Breast Cancer? Learn How Other Women Are Finding Strength & Making a New Life By Sharing The Experience

The mother of two and former Victoria’s Secret model was met with an outpouring of support in the comments, including from many women who have faced breast cancer themselves.

“All the best to you, young lady!! I am a 24 year survivor, diagnosed at 48. It’s a tough journey, but it’s doable,” one follower wrote.

Another shared, “So sorry, I have been through it and I know the fear first hand. Lean on people who love you.”

One woman who was still in treatment offered her help: “Thank you Lara for sharing this. I got it myself last year, and still in treatment. It has been a year and half of dealing with cancer. I am here if you need me.”

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Others said her post hit close to home. “Reading you and waiting for my biopsy appointment to be scheduled. Praying for both of us, Lara!” wrote another commenter.

Messages also poured in from her native language, including “Alle sterkte lieve Lara,” which translates to “All the strength, dear Lara.”

Understanding Early-Stage Breast Cancer and What Comes Next

Early-stage breast cancer means the tumor is small and hasn’t spread to nearby lymph nodes. Dr. Elizabeth Comen, a medical oncologist at NYU Langone Health’s Perlmutter Cancer Center, has previously spoke with SurvivorNet that the first step is usually surgery to remove the cancer.

This may involve a lumpectomy, in which only the tumor and some surrounding tissue are removed. A lumpectomy is often followed by radiation therapy to reduce the risk of the cancer coming back.

However, treatment isn’t one-size-fits-all. Factors such as age, tumor size, family history and personal preference can influence whether radiation is needed, or whether a patient chooses a more extensive surgery, such as a mastectomy, which removes the entire breast.

After surgery, a pathologist examines the removed tissue under a microscope to help determine the next steps in treatment.

WATCH: Understanding Early Stage Breast Cancer

Diagnostic testing plays a critical role in shaping your care plan. If a mammogram or clinical breast exam reveals something abnormal, your care team may recommend:

• Diagnostic mammogram and breast ultrasound to get a closer look at the breast and nearby lymph nodes
• MRI scans for additional imaging detail
• Biopsy of suspicious areas, including lymph nodes, to confirm cancer
• Tumor marker testing to identify hormone receptors and proteins that influence treatment options
• Additional imaging to check for any signs that the cancer has spread

Once all this information is gathered, your cancer is staged based on tumor size, lymph node involvement and whether it has spread to other parts of the body.

Staging helps guide treatment decisions, while hormone receptor and protein marker tests reveal how the cancer behaves and which therapies may be most effective.

Your health care team will consider all of these factors, alongside your personal health, values and goals, to create a treatment plan tailored to you.

Finding a Balance Between Screening and Treating

Depending on the stage of your cancer, your overall health, whether and how far the cancer has spread, and the specific characteristics (biology) of your tumor, your doctor may suggest one or more of the following treatments:

• Surgery
• Chemotherapy
• Radiation
• Hormone therapy

Deciding On Surgery

If Stone’s treatment plan calls for surgery, the choice between a lumpectomy and a mastectomy is one of the first decisions. Dr. Ann Partridge, an oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, says the most important factor is whether breast-conserving surgery (lumpectomy) is possible. Doctors look at the size and features of the tumor, as well as family history, to make a recommendation.

“When I talk to a woman who comes to me and she has breast cancer, I evaluate what the standard options for treatment for her are, which typically include cutting out the cancer– which is either a lumpectomy if you can get it all with just a little scooping around of the area that’s abnormal or a mastectomy for some women meaning taking the full breast because sometimes these lesions can be very extensive in the breast,” Dr. Partridge explains.

After a mastectomy, breast reconstruction is one of the major decisions to consider. Reconstruction can be done during the mastectomy or in a later surgery. Some women initially choose not to have reconstruction, and some later decide they want it to restore a sense of self or their previous appearance.

WATCH: Breast Reconstruction: Regaining Your Sense of Self

“Breast reconstruction is about restoring both a woman’s form and her sense of self,” explains Dr. Andrea Pusic, chief of plastic and reconstructive surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. It’s a deeply personal decision, and today’s surgical options can create breasts that look natural.

Immediate reconstruction can mean fewer surgeries overall. However, the longer initial operation may require a longer hospital stay and recovery, and it may carry a higher risk of complications, such as infection, than two separate surgeries.

“Delayed reconstruction has fewer complications than immediate reconstruction,” Dr. Terry Myckatyn, a breast reconstruction specialist at Washington University in St. Louis, told SurvivorNet.

When implants are used, the procedure can take two to three hours (so the total surgery time would be around five hours). During reconstruction, one can also take one’s own tissue (usually from the belly area) and transfer it to the breast area.

After breast cancer surgery, women with early-stage breast cancer may also need chemotherapy, radiation or hormone therapy.

Dr. Terry Myckatyn, emphasizes that choosing a reconstruction approach is a collaborative process: “It’s a shared decision-making process between the patient and the physician. The patient needs to advocate for herself and make her goals clear. The physician needs to provide clear, logical, evidence-based explanations for their recommendations.”

WATCH: How some women may keep their breast size and shape in cancer surgery.

Plastic surgeons typically reconstruct breasts using either implants or tissue taken from another part of the body, such as the back, abdomen or inner thigh. This tissue-based approach, known as a flap procedure, often produces breasts that look and feel more natural than implants and can change with your body over time, for example with weight gain or loss.

However, flap procedures involve more extensive surgery, longer recovery and additional scarring at both the breast and the donor site. They may also weaken muscles where tissue is taken, and not all patients are candidates. Women who smoke or have certain health conditions, such as poorly controlled diabetes, circulation problems or connective tissue disorders, may not be eligible.

Implant-based reconstruction usually requires fewer surgeries, smaller incisions and less scarring, allowing a quicker return to daily life. The trade-off is that implants don’t adapt to body changes, which can make them look less natural over time. Implants can also leak or rupture, which would require replacement.

Every surgical option comes with risks. Understanding those risks, and weighing them against your personal goals, is essential before making a decision.

Another consideration is whether the nipple can be preserved.

WATCH: Understanding Nipple-Sparing Mastectomies

During a nipple-sparing mastectomy, surgeons remove the breast tissue while leaving the skin and nipple intact, to keep the breast looking as natural as possible. A plastic surgeon then uses either an implant or the woman’s own tissue, typically taken from the lower abdomen, to recreate the breast.

“Nipple-sparing mastectomy, or nipple-preserving mastectomy, differentiates itself from the traditional mastectomy where the nipple was not saved,” Dr. Irene Wapnir, a surgical oncologist and breast surgeon at Stanford University Medical Center, explains to SurvivorNet.

“It’s the ideal procedure for those women who choose to have prophylactic mastectomy who don’t yet have breast cancer, who will choose that route because they have a strong family history of breast cancer, or if they’ve been tested and are a carrier of a mutation, a gene mutation, that predisposes them to a much higher risk of developing breast cancer,” Dr. Wapnir explains.

Navigating the Emotional Journey of a Breast Cancer Diagnosis

A breast cancer diagnosis can be extremely shocking and deeply unsettling. However, it’s completely natural for emotions to fluctuate throughout the process. Psychiatrist Dr. Lori Plutchik, a New York-based board certified psychiatrist, notes that emotional responses often vary from day to day, sometimes surfacing as sudden waves of stress or uncertainty.

“The patient or person going through the stressful event should accept that emotions will be fluid,” Dr. Plutchik says. “You may feel fine one day and then feel a massive wave of stress the next. It’s also important for those you look to for support—whether that’s a therapist, friends, family, or both—to understand the fluidity of stress-related emotions.”

If your emotional well-being begins to feel significantly impacted, seeking mental health support may be beneficial. Options for care include traditional talk therapy, medication, lifestyle changes such as exercise and diet modifications, joining a support group, or other personalized approaches.

Here are a few ways to help manage the emotional toll of a breast cancer diagnosis:

• Lean on loved ones. Open up to your family and close friends, allowing them to step in and offer support. Many cancer survivors express a strong need for assistance but struggle to ask for help—encourage those around you to offer practical aid, whether it’s meals, transportation, or simply a listening ear.
• Keep a journal. Writing down your thoughts and emotions can be a powerful way to process feelings. A journal provides a safe space to express yourself and reflect on your journey.
• Join a cancer support group. Local and online groups offer an opportunity to connect with others who are facing similar experiences. Learning from others and sharing your story can provide comfort and strength on difficult days.
• Consider therapy. Speaking with a mental health professional can help you navigate fears and concerns in a safe, supportive environment. Sometimes, vocalizing emotions rather than keeping them inside makes a meaningful difference in coping with stress.

The journey may feel uncertain, but the right support network and coping strategies can make a real difference to your emotional and mental health. Facing breast cancer is difficult, but you are not alone.

More on Breast Cancer Screening

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends mammograms every other year for women ages 40 to 74. The task force finalized that guidance in 2024, lowering the starting age from 50, and estimated that screening from 40 could save about 20% more lives.

The American Cancer Society (ACS) recommends yearly mammograms for women ages 45 to 54, and every other year for women 55 and older, though women in that group can choose to continue yearly screening.

RELATED: Access to Good Information is Crucial After a Breast Cancer Diagnosis

Some women are considered at higher risk for breast cancer, including those with a strong family history of the disease, a genetic mutation such as BRCA1 or BRCA2, or a history of radiation therapy to the chest before age 30. Women at higher risk should talk with their doctor about starting screening earlier, sometimes with additional imaging such as MRI.

Breast density is measured on a mammogram, and about half of women over 40 have dense breasts. Dense breast tissue raises breast cancer risk somewhat, and it can also make cancer harder to spot on a mammogram. Women with dense breasts may want to ask their doctor whether additional screening, such as 3D mammography, ultrasound or MRI, makes sense for them.

Family History & Breast Cancer Risk

Although breast cancer can happen to anyone, certain factors can increase a person’s risk. Known risk factors include:

• Older age
• A gene mutation such as BRCA1 or BRCA2
• A family history of the disease
• Dense breast tissue
• Longer lifetime exposure to estrogen, such as starting periods before age 12 or going through menopause after 55
• Having a first full-term pregnancy after 30, or never giving birth
• Radiation exposure to the chest early in life

Breast Cancer Dialogues: Getting Back To You

Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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