Katie Thurston just got some life-changing news. The former Bachelorette, who recently revealed she was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer that had spread to her liver, no longer needs chemotherapy. She was just one day away from starting treatment when her doctor called and told her to hit pause.
Turns out, after getting a biopsy done on her breast, lymph node, and liver, Katie’s cancer was confirmed to be HER2-negative. That one detail opened up a whole new treatment path for her. Instead of chemo, she’s now going to follow a hormone-blocking therapy plan that includes a daily oral drug called Kisqali, an estrogen-blocking pill called Letrozole, and a monthly shot called Zoladex to shut down her ovaries.
She shared the update in a raw Instagram video, saying, “This means no chemo. I now have the option to do hormone-blocking therapy instead.” She knows this new plan won’t be easy, but it’s way less intense than chemotherapy. And she’s being realistic: if things stop working or the cancer grows, chemo’s still on the table. But for now, she’s got a better shot at managing things long-term with fewer side effects.
Before she even knew about this new option, Katie and her husband Jeff Arcuri went through IVF. They spent two weeks freezing embryos because chemo could have impacted her fertility. “Knowing we wanted kids, we thought, ‘Let’s just do this now,'” she said. Out of 17 eggs retrieved, six turned into embryos.
Katie says most women don’t realize they can carve out that time for fertility planning, even after a cancer diagnosis. “Doctors will sometimes scare you into thinking there’s no time, but we had those 10 days. We made it count.”
She also gave a shoutout to Jeff for being by her side through it all. Every appointment, every IVF shot, he was there. “He’s been my rock,” she said.
Katie Thurston’s story isn’t wrapped up with a bow. She still has stage 4 cancer, and she’s clear about the fact that things could change. But right now? She’s skipping chemo, sticking to hormone therapy, and hoping for the best.
No sugarcoating, no silver lining spin. Just honest updates from someone dealing with a brutal diagnosis and doing whatever it takes to move forward.
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