Normani Says She Felt 'Helpless' After Her Mother's Second Breast Cancer Diagnosis
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Normani is opening up about her "helpless" experience coming to terms with her mother Andrea Hamilton's second breast cancer diagnosis.
In an op-ed for ELLE magazine, the 26-year-old singer, who is an American Cancer Society ambassador, reflected on her mother finding another lump on her breast in 2020, 19 years after first beating the disease.
"I was in Los Angeles when I found out my mom had been diagnosed with breast cancer again. My family was back in Houston. Three weeks earlier, when I was visiting my mom at home, she'd fallen into my arms expressing how scared she was," Normani wrote. "She had a gut feeling about the results. I felt incredibly helpless because I wasn't able to cure her."
The "Wild Side" singer said her mom is an "incredibly independent and self-sufficient" woman, and "seeing her break down and not be able to function was really painful."
American Cancer Society
Despite watching Hamilton's difficult breast cancer journey, Normani said her mom's diagnosis helped her understand the value of self-exams.
"I watched my mother find her own lumps both times she had breast cancer," the former Fifth Harmony member wrote. "She taught me the importance of looking out for changes in your breasts and educated me on what mammograms were at an early age."
According to the National Cancer Institute, early detection of breast cancer through mammograms allows patients to get a head start on treatment, and can decrease the likelihood of it spreading.
The American Cancer Society suggests that women should start thinking about getting annual mammograms when they turn 40, and that by the time they're 45 they should be getting them done yearly.
Health officials also advise women of all ages to practice "breast self-awareness," which means becoming familiar with how a person's own breasts normally look and feel, so they will be more likely to recognize anything out of the ordinary when doing a breast self-examination.
"I also encourage anyone who has a family member with cancer to see that your family talks to a doctor about genetic testing," Normani added in the op-ed. "We have taken these measures as a family. Knowledge is power, so whatever you don't know, don't be afraid to ask."
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In August 2021, Normani celebrated her mother completing chemotherapy following her second diagnosis.
"MY MOM JUST HAD HER FINAL ROUND OF RADIATION. GLORY!!!!!" the singer announced in an emotional message on Twitter at the time.
The artist first revealed that her mother's breast cancer had returned 19 years after she first battled the illness in October 2020.
"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me 🙏🏾 I did it once and I'll do it again! #CancerWho," Hamilton wrote alongside a photo of a rosary.
"We got this mommy," Normani wrote, reposting the story.
