Contributing writer for “Today,” Jill Martin, disclosed her breast cancer diagnosis to Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie on July 17. Martin, who was crying, said, “It feels like someone else is telling this story.”.
A January consultation had yielded the all-clear, she continued, adding that she had continued to maintain her regular mammogram schedule. Because of her family’s history, Martin told People, she took a test to check if she carried the BRCA gene, and she did.
The Mayo Clinic states that a person who carries a mutation in either the BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene has a “significantly increased risk of developing breast cancer or ovarian cancer.”.
After learning of this, Martin spoke with her doctors about having surgery to enhance her health and prevent being diagnosed with breast cancer in the future. “I made that decision,” Martin said to “Today.” She notes that her doctors found cancer when she underwent all of the pre-surgery scans.
“I am obviously devastated.
She told People magazine, “You automatically assume the worst when you hear the C-word.”. “Being able to tell my story on a platform has also given me strength because I know that I can save lives while I heal. She continued, “This process will have been worthwhile for me if I can save one life as a result of this.”. Now Martin is prepared for the next move.
It was discovered that Jill Martin had breast cancer during an MRI.
After receiving the news, she inquired about whether the cancer could be treated; she was informed that it could and she would recover.
Martin is getting ready for her two-part surgery, and she is afraid of what’s beyond. “If chemotherapy is something I have to deal with, I’ll deal with it, but I really would prefer not to,” she said to People.
This is scary because you don’t know what’s ahead.
The most terrifying thing for me is having surgery and not knowing if you’ll require radiation or chemotherapy. There’s a project or task at hand that I can work on more efficiently,” she said. Martin is scheduled to have a mastectomy in the middle of July.
A prophylactic hysterectomy would follow in October, and according to the website, she would then have surgery again for the “second half of the reconstruction.”.
Erik Brooks, Martin’s spouse, whom she married in September, as well as her friends and coworkers, are all tremendous supporters of her. Hoda Kotb gave Martin a hug on “Today,” expressing her excitement to see her “after this.”. Martin desired to take advantage of this chance to urge women to undergo regular medical checkups, especially mammograms, and to be tested for the BRCA gene. ”.
