Baywatch star Nicole Eggert shares breast cancer diagnosis
Baywatch star Nicole Eggert has revealed she has been diagnosed with breast cancer.
The actress, perhaps best known for playing Summer Quinn on the classic series, shared the news that she received the diagnosis in December of stage 2 cribriform carcinoma breast cancer – a rare form that is low grade and slow growing, according to charity Breast Cancer Now.
Speaking to People, Eggert says she began experiencing "terrible pain" in her left breast the month prior, recalling that it was “really was throbbing and hurting".
“I immediately went to my general practitioner and she told me I had to immediately go get it looked at," she said. "But the problem was I just couldn't get an appointment. Everything was booked. So I had to wait until the end of November to get it done.”
She then tested positive for cancer in her pathology report, and will need surgery to remove it. She is also awaiting a start date confirmation for chemotherapy and radiation.
“This journey's been rough for me," Eggert admitted. "This hasn't been a breezy sale through life. I always read inspirational quotes and corny stuff, but it gets me through.”
She added of the lump: “I can definitely feel it. It's there. It needs to be taken out. So it's just a matter of do I have to do treatment before the surgery or can they perform the surgery and then I do the treatment after.
“I have panics where I'm like, just get this out of me. You sit there and it's in you and you're like, every second that passes and it's inside of me. It's growing, and you're just like, you just want it out.”
The actress also explained that her "biggest fear" was not being there for her two daughters, noting: “[Dilyn’s] an adult, but I have a 12-year-old at home where I'm the only caregiver. I have no family. I have nothing.”
Recalling “the horror” on her younger daughter Keegan’s face when she revealed the diagnosis, Eggert said: “It immediately made me realize, there's just no succumbing to this. This is something I have to get through. This is something that I have to beat. She needs me more than anything and anybody.”
The star also said she was "really appreciative" of her friend Mindy Molinary starting a GoFundMe page to help raise money for treatment.
“I absolutely 100% want to start a non-profit for other single parents such as myself, who don't have any family, don't have anybody to turn to,” she said. “They take on all this by themselves because they love their kids so much, but when something happens to them, then what?
“I've gotten such an outpouring of love and it makes you feel so good. It changes your whole day and other people just don't have that. So I really want to figure out a way to give back to other parents that are in my situation that aren't as fortunate.”
If you would like more information or support about living with cancer or treatment, please click here for guidance from Macmillan Cancer Support, or click here to learn more from Stand Up to Cancer.
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