Tina Knowles has long entertained the internet with her corny jokes, but there’s one thing she’s very serious about: mammograms.
In an interview with People published on Tuesday, Knowles revealed that she was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer in her left breast. The diagnosis came after she missed her original mammogram appointment due to COVID-19 — a journey she shared in her new book, “Matriarch.”
“I struggled with whether I would share that journey [in the book] because I’m very private. But I decided to share it because I think it’s a lot of lessons in it for other women,” she said to the outlet. “And I think as women, sometimes we get so busy and we get so wrapped up and running around, but you must go get your test. Because if I had not gotten my test early, I mean, I shudder to think what could have happened to me.”
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While sitting with Gayle King for CBS Morning on Tuesday, Knowles started to get “emotional” recounting her experience.
“I’ve always tried to take care of myself, and I was in disbelief,” she confessed.
During the conversation, King shared that doctors had found two tumors — one benign, the other malignant.
“It was stage 1, which I thought was the earliest stage, and when I told my sister she said, ‘No, there’s a zero,’” Knowles revealed.
Had she not missed her original appointment, Knowles noted, the cancer might have been caught at the elusive “zero stage.”
“Thank God it was still very small, hadn’t spread, it was a very slow spreading cancer,” she said.
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The mother of Beyoncé and Solange went on to share that she had a lumpectomy to remove the tumor. Her daughters, ever a beacon of support, were by her side during the journey — lightening with a steady stream of funny videos, including one from influencer Queen Jools. In a moment of emotional grounding, they also sang the gospel song, “Walk With Me.”
“It’s about God walking with you into something and protecting you,” Knowles said. “They sung that song, and I went in there feeling just like God got me.”
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