Brooke Burke opens up about surviving cancer, 10 years after her diagnosis
Fitness expert and TV host Brooke Burke opened up about her experience with cancer, 10 years after her diagnosis. "When you hear the word cancer, it's really scary. You know, and people relate it to death. I'm gonna die," she recalls. In honor of World Cancer Day, she shares her advice and the importance behind an annual physical exam.
Video Transcript
- I think any time you hear the word cancer, it's really scary and people relate it to death. I have cancer, I'm going to die. I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2012. It was first brought to my attention in a regular medical checkup and that I had an irregular little nodule on my thyroid. And at that time in my life I was already struggling with an abnormal thyroid. I remember being in the kitchen in the morning and getting the phone call, and I sort of just wanted to carry on with my coffee routine. I was like, OK, I'm going to get back to you. And they're like, no, no, no. You have to process this. And we have to schedule surgery. And I still couldn't wrap my head around it, which I think is quite a normal reaction. And then as a mom, I was thinking about my kids and my family, and now what's next.
After the birth of my second daughter I was incredibly tired. Doctors said, well, of course you're tired. You're a mom. You just had your second baby. And I had a personal intuition where I was like, this is not normal. And I'm not functioning. So I continued doing blood work and research until finally was diagnosed with Hashimoto's, an autoimmune disease that affects the thyroid. So my journey after the thyroidectomy was easier than most because I was already taking medication to help my thyroid. I was definitely nervous about surgery. One of the very small risks of having a thyroidectomy is losing your voice, which would have been a game changer for me professionally. It probably became a real reality for me when I was checking into the hospital as a cancer patient, prepping for surgery. And that was all scary, but I had scheduled a good block of time to recover, not have the pressure of work. I had a lot of family around me to help because I had four kids at home, that was really tough. And one of the reasons why I was so outspoken and so vocal publicly about it is because it's difficult to understand the medical process. And I wanted to really be able to help people and inspire other people going through the journey.
There's no right or wrong way to handle it. People are probably going to get it wrong and that's OK. You're navigating the unknown. When at that time in my life I was managing a couple of different shows on television. I had four children. I was used to doing everything myself. And I really had to allow myself to not only ask for help, but to accept health. And one thing I've learned now is sometimes if you ask someone, what do you need and what can I do for you, the answer you're going to get is nothing. I'm good, I got it. Show up and deliver something, whether it's food, or soup, or a care package. Whatever it is that might lift the spirits of someone that's going through a challenging medical time, just show up and deliver it.
It's been 10 years since I've been cancer free. My advice for people who are fighting it, for people who are behind the scenes, for people who are researching and trying to raise money so that we can fund these projects, just keep fighting the fight. Take advantage of the medical research that we have available to us. Get your yearly physical. Get your mammograms. Denying that is denying yourself. I've been there and I beat it.
