“Today” show contributor Jill Martin has been fighting breast cancer, and she is publicly sharing her journey in the hopes of preventing other people from going through what she is going through.
In July, Martin shared that one thing that makes her sad “is watching my parents watch me go through this.” She added, “We will crush this together.”
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In an update on social media earlier today, Martin shared that she “will be on and off the air dealing with treatment for the next six months, but I thought it was important to share this journey with you in real time.”
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On August 7th, Martin and her oncologist, Dr. Elisa Port, sat down with Savannah Guthrie to discuss what Martin has been through so far and what the journey in front of her looks like.
The interview started with Martin sharing that even though she “looks like” she normally does, “internally, it’s very tough.” She shared that in the past three weeks she “underwent a double mastectomy, and they found I was stage 2. They found an aggressive tumor that spread into one lymph node, and so we removed some lymph nodes around that.” Martin summarized her surgery as “the first step” in her recovery. Unfortunately, it will not be the last step.
Martin is choosing to stay positive about her fight against breast cancer. She said, “I’m grateful that we caught it, and I’m grateful that there is a treatment plan going forward.” Despite how grateful she is, she also explained that her road to recovery is “a long journey,” and she described the battle, on an emotional level, as “earth shattering.”
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Port added that the surgery “could not have gone better.” She also added that the surgery “generates a lot of information” which helps her know how to proceed with future treatment options.
Martin explained that she “will most likely need chemotherapy.” In addition, she will have a hysterectomy in order to prevent the chance of ovarian cancer. She also shared that she “will be on an anti-hormonal drug for five years.”
Despite the long and difficult fight, Martin shared, “this is curable.” She shared that the reason she is sharing her journey with “Today” viewers is because she doesn’t “want anyone else to have to go through the cancer part.”
Martin shared that if she had been tested earlier for the BRCA gene mutation, she could have “taken measures” to prevent the cancer. Port added that even if someone had genetic testing done in the past, if the testing was before 2013, it’s a good idea to get tested again because the test is much better now than it was pre-2013. Port recommends that both men and women get tested.
Martin shared that she knows some people are scared to get tested, but she’s urging everyone to get tested anyway. She explained, “Preventatively to do this is so much better than battling cancer.”
Despite the battle, Martin is continuing to work as much as possible and stay positive. She said, “You can either stay home and cry under the covers, or I can come to work and be myself, and I’m not going to let cancer take that away from me.”
You can watch the full interview in the video below.
