Despite getting engaged last summer, Valentine’s Day was not a happy one for Katie Thurston. The Bachelorette star had found out days earlier that she had breast cancer. She found a lump a few months later, but never imagined it could be breast cancer. It was.
What happened next was a whirlwind of tests, doctor appointments, and a shocking misdiagnosis. The initial diagnosis in California was Stage 3. But Katie Thurston later found out after changing doctors after moving to NYC that the cancer had spread to her liver, making it Stage 4.
Her new team of doctors also discovered that the cancer was HER- after initially testing HER+. HER- cancer is slightly less aggressive. Her medical team opted against chemotherapy and tried oral medications instead.
After three months of treatment, Katie Thurston went back for more tests to see if the medication was working. She shared the great news on social media that the tumors in her breast and liver have shrunk since the initial scans after the diagnosis in February.
Stage 4 is a scary diagnosis, and many people assume it is a death sentence. Some cancer patients create bucket lists of things to do before they die. But not Katie Thurston. She refuses to make one.
Bachelorette Star Explains Why She Refuses To Make Bucket List Despite Stage 4 Cancer
Katie Thurston shares details of her cancer battle on her main Instagram feed and the Boobie Broadcast channel she created. She’s connected to many other women who are currently fighting breast cancer or have in the past.
“People often talk about their bucket list. A grand final act before dying. Something they held off on doing but now time is running out. I don’t like that mentality,” she wrote.
The post continued, “I don’t know if this makes sense but I don’t want to live like I’m dying – but live like I’m living.”
“I’ve been given the gift of today. I want to chase the little moments.” The Bachelorette star said that she would rather rollerblade in Washington Square Park than climb Mt. Everest or take dance lessons with her husband, Jeff Arcuri, instead of skydiving.
Katie Thurston revealed that she tried to watch the miniseries Dying For S*x but was turned off by the lead character’s “I’m dying” mentality.
Katie Thurston Would Rather Focus On ‘Glimmers Of Life’
Katie Thurston candidly admits that she is dying. “We all are,’ she pointed out. But she doesn’t want to focus on “running out of time.” Instead, she wants to focus on “a new appreciation for time.”
She vowed to document her new mentality online by sharing her “glimmers of life.”
