“Boy Meets World” star Danielle Fishel opened up about her breast cancer diagnosis at age 43 on the latest episode of her podcast “Pod Meets World.”
“I was recently diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ, which is a form of breast cancer. It's very, very, very early, it's technically stage zero,” she said at the beginning of the episode, which aired on August 19.
Fishel went on to explain that she was diagnosed with “high-grade DCIS with microscopic invasion” and plans to have surgery to remove it.
“I’ve had to make a lot of decisions over the last couple of days,” Fishel said, before adding that she initially planned to tell only her family and close friends and no one else. She thought she would rather “suffer in silence” and “bear it,” and not tell others until she was over it. Fishel changed her mind after reading material by author Glennon Doyle, who argues that women need to reach out to others at the beginning or “in the middle” of the struggle rather than waiting until they are out of the experience.
Fishel caught DCIS cancer so early because she scheduled her annual mammogram on the day she received a reminder that it was time to do it.
“They found it very early, so I’m going to be fine. So I want to share this because I hope it encourages anyone to come in,” Fishel said. “If it’s time for your appointment, if you haven’t had an appointment before, come in. If you have to find out you have cancer, find it when it’s stage 0, if that’s possible.”
She said she will be meeting with several doctors, including oncologists, radiation specialists and hormone therapists, to plan her next steps, but she reassured listeners that she will be fine. She said she knows this could impact her future work; Fishel recently directed three episodes of NBC's “Lopez vs. Lopez.”
Hosts Rider Strong and Will Friedle, who co-starred on “Boy Meets World” with Fishel, were among the first people she told about her family.
“We love you, and you know we’re here to help. Whatever you need, we’re here,” Friedel said. “You’re going to be okay, and you may have some tough days ahead, but we’re here for you.”
