Katie Thurston has shared the devastating news of her breast cancer diagnosis with her followers.
The former Bachelorette star, 34, who recently got engaged to comedian Jeff Arcuri, opened up on her devastating health news on social media on Saturday, expressing that planning treatment logistics overshadowed her Valentine’s Day, the Mirror reports.
Sharing her feelings on Instagram, Katie wrote: “Life update: I have breast cancer. Yesterday I saw all the couples post their Valentine’s Day celebrations. I felt envious if I’m being honest.
“Jeff took me to Hawaii and after, we were going to travel the world before planting roots together in NYC finally. But instead, my Vday was spent coordinating a place to live as I have to go back to LA for more testing and treatment.”
She also detailed the steps she had taken that morning, stating: “I used my morning to figure out insurance for NYC and laws on pre-existing conditions. I scheduled appointments for another biopsy, fertility, mental health, surgery, as well as meeting with my team to discuss the overall treatment plan, which will include chemo.”
Describing her emotional journey following her diagnosis, Thurston said that she’s gone through despair, anger, sadness, denial, but now feels strength and readiness to confront the illness.
She mentioned: “I experienced a range of emotions over the past two weeks. Despair. Anger. Sadness. Denial. And then strength. Purposeful. Ready. I cried a lot. I tried to even make a video instead of this post and couldn’t.”
Thurston is now focusing on spreading awareness and preparing herself for the fight against breast cancer.
Katie’s poignant message described how she found comfort in reading about others who had gone through similar ordeals.
She said: “But one thing I did early on was search other stories like mine. Other young women with breast cancer. Invasive ductal carcinoma. Mastectomy. Pregnancy after breast cancer.”
She credited these stories with helping her cope, saying: “All of their stories helped. So I intend to be the same for others. This is day one of sharing and is going to be a long one. This first step of acceptance of my reality was the hardest. But I am ready to fight this.”
Katie’s message concluded with a heartfelt tribute to her fiancé, expressing her deep gratitude for his unwavering love and support during this difficult time.
She wrote: “And I saved the best for last. To my extraordinary husband to be @jarcuri – I don’t know how I’d do this without you. The selfless love that you smother me in is beyond anything I imagined I’d be blessed with. I love you to the fullest in this lifetime and the next.”