Beyonce’s mother, Tina Knowles, has revealed that she was diagnosed with breast cancer last year.
The 71-year-old, who is set to release her new memoir Matriarch, opened up about her health issues in a new interview, sharing that she was blindsided by the diagnosis.
She explained that doctors discovered stage 1 cancer in her left breast last July, after she missed her scheduled mammogram – and is using her platform to urge other women to get tested.
‘It’s important not to slack on your mammograms,’ she told People Magazine, sharing that she initially ‘struggled’ with whether to include her battles in her book because of her private nature.
‘But I decided to share it because I think it’s a lot of lessons in it for other women.
‘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.’
Tina, also mom to Solange Knowles, missed her routine screening during the Covid-19 pandemic, and didn’t reschedule her appointment until last year.
It was at that appointment that doctors found two tumors – CBS reports that one was benign and the other had stage 1 cancer.
She was later told that, had she kept up with her routine mammograms, they may have been able to detect the cancer at Stage 0.
In her book, the matriarch shed light on how her daughters dealt with the news, writing – via People Magazine – that Beyonce ‘took it well, staying positive, and I could already feel her mind racing, focusing on this as a task to tackle with precision’.
‘Mom, we are going to take care of this,’ Solange told her, as Kelly Rowland and her other family members quickly rallied around and ‘became my team.’
Tina had surgery to remove the tumor last year, and also underwent a breast reduction.
Giving an update on her health, she added to the outlet: ‘I’m doing great.
‘Cancer-free and incredibly blessed that God allowed me to find it early.
‘What scares me now is not making the best of every day that I have left in this life.’
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