Tina Knowles, the mother of Beyoncé, has opened up about her battle with breast cancer.
In an interview with People, Knowles revealed she was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer during a mammogram appointment, which she eventually attended after previously postponing it due to COVID-related disruptions.
She said she chose to share the experience in her newly released memoir ‘Matriarch’ to encourage women to prioritise breast checks.
The 71-year-old added that she wanted to emphasise the importance of not missing routine mammograms, as early detection could make all the difference.
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.
I wanted to make sure they knew how important it is not to slack on their mammograms because we can catch cancer at stage zero. I didn’t know there was stage zero.
I could have caught it then if I had not missed my mammogram but I did because of COVID.
My appointment was canceled and they told me they would call me; that was in 2022. So, as a result, it was stage 1.
Knowles also revealed that she underwent surgery and is now “cancer-free, expressing gratitude for early detection.
I’m doing great, cancer-free, feeling great, and incredibly blessed that God allowed me to find out early, she added.
In ‘Matriarch’, she wrote that while Beyoncé received the news of her diagnosis with positivity, she also approached it with precision.
She took it well, staying positive, and I could already feel her mind racing, focusing on this as a task to tackle with precision, she wrote.
