Wanda Sykes, comedian and CurlyNikki fam recently revealed to Ellen that she had a double mastectomy.
From People.com–
Wanda Sykes being outrageous – that’s expected. But for the actress-comedian to be serious? That’s rare. Even when the issue is personal.In this case, it was also health-related, when she admitted for the first time, to Ellen DeGeneres during an interview to air Monday on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, that earlier this year she had breast cancer and then elected to have a mastectomy.
“I had breast cancer,” says Sykes, 47. “Yeah, I know it’s scary.”
The cancer was found after she had undergone what was essentially a cosmetic procedure, to have a breast reduction.
“This was in February. I went for the reduction. I had real big boobs and I just got tired of knocking over stuff. Every time I eat … Oh lord. I’d carry a Tide stick everywhere I go,” she quips. “My back was sore so it was time to have a reduction.”
She continues, “It wasn’t until after the reduction that in the lab work, the pathology, that they found that I had DCIS [ductal carcinoma in situ] in my left breast. I was very, very lucky because DCIS is basically stage-zero cancer. So I was very lucky.”
Read on, here.
You never know what people are going through. We love you Wanda!
I admire the hell out of her too! That is not an easy decision to make but very understandable given her committment to her family and her family bc history.
I was also diagnosed with DCIS in April, stage 1, after a routine mammogram showed some calcifications. (DCIS isn't in itself stage 0, it just means that the cancer was contained to the milk ducts – it can still progress). I had a lumpectomy followed by a more aggressive form of radiation. I'm incredibly blessed to say that I'm now considered cancer free, just have to do a 5 year drug therapy to decrease my odds of recurrence to less than 10%.
The best thing to come out of this is awareness – it is ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL that women 40yrs and older get mammo's regularly (and if you're younger than 40yrs with a family history of bc, please talk to your MD about getting a mammo)…early detection is the key to survival and keeping your breasts…
Keeping you in my prayers Wanda!
Wow that is some scary stuff, and after reading the whole interview I see now why she had her boobs totally removed. Hopefully the cancer is all gone, and didn't spread anywhere else before this was caught. Keeping you in my prayers Wanda.
Awwww Wanda. Glad the cancer was caught early. Good thing you were screening for a breast reduction. You are in my prayers.