Boy Meets World Danielle Fishel has revealed that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer. The actress, best known for her role as Topanga on the 1990s sitcom, shared the news on Monday's episode of “Pod Meets World.” During the hour-long podcast, Fishel said the cancer was discovered after a routine mammogram.
“It’s very, very, very early; it’s technically stage zero specifically,” Fishel said during the hour-long podcast. “I was diagnosed with high-grade ductal carcinoma in situ with microscopic invasion, and I’m going to be fine. I’m going to have surgery to remove it.”
According to the American Cancer Society, DCIS is when cells lining the milk ducts in the breast become cancerous but have not spread to surrounding breast tissue. After learning of the life-threatening condition, Fishel planned to tell only her husband, Jensen Karp, and her immediate family, but she ultimately decided to share the news publicly.
“I always thought I was going to suffer in silence,” she said. “I would get the diagnosis. I wouldn’t tell anyone, I would just tell my little group, and then I would take it, and when I got to the other side of it, I would tell people, ‘Here I am, I’ve been through this journey, and this is what I did.’”
Fishel credits her early detection with keeping up with her mammograms. She said she made her appointment after receiving an automated text message urging her to make an appointment and encouraging listeners to do the same. “Go out there,” she said. “If you have to find out about cancer, find out when it’s stage zero.”
Fishel added that she still has “big decisions” to make and plans to meet with oncologists, radiation specialists and hormone specialists, which could impact her future podcast schedule. “Pod Meets World” co-hosts Rider Strong and Will Friedle were among the first people Fishel shared her diagnosis with.
“She seems to be more productive,” said Friedl, her former business manager. Boy Meets World “It seems like it’s everywhere, even for men,” the co-star said in response to her news. “Prostate exams, colonoscopies. These are all really important things, so don’t put them off. We’re so glad you didn’t. You’re going to be fine, and you may have some tough days ahead, but we’re here for you.”
