“The Bachelorette” alum Katie Thurston has breast cancer.
The reality star, 34, announced her diagnosis in a message to her Instagram followers on Saturday.
“Life update: I have breast cancer,” she wrote, alongside two photos of herself taken by her fiancé, comedian Jeff Arcuri.
“Yesterday I saw all the couples post their Valentines Day celebrations. I felt envious if I’m being honest,” Thurston continued. “Jeff took me to Hawaii and after, we were going to travel the world before planting roots together in NYC finally. But instead, my Vday was spent coordinating a place to live as I have to go back to LA for more testing and treatment.”
Thurston explained that on Valentine’s Day morning she sorted out her insurance and “scheduled appointments for another biopsy, fertility, mental health, surgery, as well as meeting with my team to discuss the overall treatment plan, which will include chemo.”
“I experienced a range of emotions over the past two weeks,” she said. “Despair. Anger. Sadness. Denial. And then strength. Purposeful. Ready. I cried a lot. I tried to even make a video instead of this post and couldn’t.”
Thurston shared that she found stories of other women with breast cancer which “helped” her cope with the news. “So I intend to be the same for others,” she wrote, adding, “This is day one of sharing and is going to be a long one. This first step of acceptance of my reality was the hardest. But I am ready to fight this.”
To conclude her message, Thurston thanked Acuri, whom she got engaged to in September.
“I don’t know how I’d do this without you,” Thurston wrote. “The selfless love that you smother me in is beyond anything I imagined I’d be blessed with. I love you to the fullest in this lifetime and the next. 🤍.”
Thurston received support in the comments from fellow Bachelor Nation stars including Kaitlyn Bristowe, Zac Clark, Joey Graziadei, Jade Roper, Becca Kufrin, Jenn Tran and more.
She shared more details about her diagnosis in a Q&A on her Instagram Stories.
Thurston told one follower that she’s “waiting on learning what stage” her cancer is in, and that her family doesn’t have a history of breast cancer.
On another slide, Thurston was asked how she found out she had cancer. She responded, “I had a small lump in my breast, around the 10’oclock spot. I discovered it myself. Thought maybe it was my period. Maybe it was muscle soreness from working out. But eventually the lump never went away.”
She explained to a different fan that her lump “is painful.” She added, “Which probably led to more doubt and delay on getting it check out as lots of sites will say ‘most breast cancers don’t hurt.’ I really thought it was PMS or working out.”
Thurston first appeared on Matt James’ season of “The Bachelor” in 2021.
She then became the lead of “The Bachelorette” Season 17 and got engaged to Blake Moynes, but they broke up after the season aired.
