ESPN anchor Hannah Storm reveals private battle with breast cancer: 'I’m very, very, very lucky'

The "SportsCenter" co-host was “shocked” after being diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) in January.

Hannah Storm is ready to tell the story of her private battle with early stage breast cancer.

During a Tuesday appearance on Good Morning America, the ESPN sportscaster, 61, revealed that she was diagnosed with a non-invasive, stage zero breast cancer called ductal carcinoma in situ, (DCIS) in January.

“I was shocked,” Storm told GMA’s Robin Roberts of her diagnosis. “Because I had had mammograms every year. I have no risk factors, I had no breast cancer in my family. I did not have a lump, I did not have pain, I didn’t have any genetic disposition to breast cancer. And what I came to learn is that the vast majority of women who are diagnosed with breast cancer don’t have risk factors.”

Storm added that the diagnosis left her “scared,” but when asked how she feels today, smiled and said, “I’m good. Really, really good.”

The SportsCenter co-anchor explained that after learning she had DCIS, she underwent a successful lumpectomy. The surgery took place on Feb. 1, followed by a lengthy wait for her official results — but she is now considered cancer-free by her doctors. She won’t be needing radiology, and will be taking a medication, tamoxifen, for three years.

“I’m very, very, very lucky, because they found it so early,” Storm said. "I know so many people who don't have mammograms, who are scared to have them. I don't want them to be scared. I want them to be scared not to have this information."

In a personal essay penned for ESPN’s Front Row, Storm delved deeper into the process of learning about and treating her cancer diagnosis. She explained that after receiving the initial phone call from a radiologist about DCIS, she reconnected with Dr. Elisa Port — the Chief Surgeon and Director of Dubin Breast Cancer Center at NY's Mount Sinai Hospital, whom she once interviewed on camera.

“I texted Dr. Port immediately when I got home from work the night of Jan. 11, and she called me right back. She said, ‘You’re not going to die from this’ – a phrase I have repeated again and again to panicked friends when first delivering the news,” Storm said. “It’s uncomfortable telling people that you have any kind of cancer diagnosis. The word itself is just scary. DCIS doesn’t sound nearly as frightening; it isn’t, but you have to explain it. That’s one of the reasons I wanted to tell this story.”

She goes on to urge women to stay on top of their health, especially when it comes to routine mammograms. Storm also spoke to PEOPLE about her cancer battle, adding that she’s “feeling good” and taking measures to take even better care of her health than before.

“Every day when I wake up and I look in the mirror, my left breast doesn't look exactly like my right one. There's the scar there,” she says. “And literally when I look in the mirror, I have this profound sense of gratitude. It's like a daily reminder of just how fortunate I am.”

You can see Storm open up about her cancer diagnosis in the video above.

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