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Breast cancer strikes one in three women, according to the American Cancer Society — a statistic that includes Danielle Fishel.
In a Tuesday, October 15 heart-to-heart with Today, the 43-year-old Boy Meets World icon shared details about her battle with breast cancer, which led to two lumpectomies that kicked the disease to the curb — for now.
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“There is no evidence of disease, so the surgery was successful and got the cancer out of my body,” Fishel explained. “But they call cancer a journey for a reason. It’s not just walk in and have even one procedure and then you’re done.”
Looking ahead, the path remains dotted with regular check-ups — mammograms every few months, hormone therapy, and possibly some radiation. “I was so lucky that I found my cancer so early,” she admitted.
The discovery came from routine screenings that showed suspicious calcifications. A deeper dive with advanced imaging and a biopsy two weeks later confirmed stage 0 ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), nestled in a milk duct.
Fishel went on to explain that breaking the news to her husband, film producer Jensen Karp, was daunting, especially with his parents’ cancer history. “He’s only 45, and both of his parents are already gone,” the TV star said. “While we were waiting for the results of my biopsy, he was really very confident it was going to be benign…. So when I got the phone call with the results from the biopsy, my first thought was, ‘How am I going to break this news to him?'”
She continued, “I was then a little worried about having to manage his emotions through it when it was my cancer diagnosis. And that’s one of the things that people don’t talk about often.” Fishel mentioned that it was also “really hard” to tell her parents because no one was expecting a cancer diagnosis.
“I looked healthy, I felt healthy. … Last year, I had a mammogram, and everyone knew that mammogram was normal, and so it just wasn’t on anyone in my family’s radar to think that I was going to end up with cancer,” she noted.
Since opening up about her health, the Arizona native has used her platform to help encourage others to stay on top of their health and understand the importance of preventative care.
“If you grew up watching me on TV, it’s probably time for you to get a mammogram, so go get one,” she told Good Morning America in an interview published Wednesday, October 16.
Fishel and Karp, 44, tied the knot in November 2018. They have since welcomed two kids: Adler, 5, and Keaton, 3.
