Danielle Fishel is opening up about her recent health scare—a breast cancer diagnosis.
During the Aug. 19 episode of her Pod Meets World podcast, Fishel shared with her co-hosts, fellow Boy Meets World castmates Rider Strong and Will Friedle, that she was recently diagnosed with breast cancer.
“I was recently diagnosed with DCIS, which stands for ductal carcinoma in situ, which is a form of breast cancer,” the 43-year-old disclosed.
“It is very, very, very early. It’s technically stage zero. To be specific—just because I like too much information all the time—I was diagnosed with high-grade DCIS with micro-invasion.”
Fishel assured fans that she was “going to be fine” and planned to have surgery to remove the cancer before undergoing a series of follow-up treatments.
“I’ve had to make a lot of decisions over the last couple of days,” she said, before adding that she initially planned on only telling her inner circle. She thought she’d prefer to “suffer in silence” and “suck it up,” only sharing with others after she’d beaten it.
Fishel, who first only told her husband, Jensen Karp—with whom she shares sons Adler, 5, and Keaton, 2—along with her parents and brother, said she decided to share her experience with listeners to encourage them to get mammograms regularly.
“The more people I talk to, the more people have had their own experiences—either being diagnosed with cancer themselves or knowing a family member who’s been diagnosed with cancer—and the world of resources and experiences that can be shared by sharing it, and things that can be learned.”
“The only reason I caught this cancer when it is still stage zero is because the day I got my text message that my yearly mammogram was due, I made the appointment,” Fishel shared.
Acknowledging just how easy it is to let preventative and routine check-ups slip by, Fishel pleaded with fans to hear her message.
“It would be so easy to say, ‘I don’t have time for that. I went to my mammogram last year; I was fine last year, I don’t need to go again this year. What are the chances? It’s gonna be fine; I was fine last year.’ And I didn’t. Instead, I was like, ‘Yeah, it’s time—gotta make that appointment,’ and they found it so, so, so early that I’m going to be fine,” she said.
“If it’s time for your appointment, if you’ve never had an appointment before, get in there. If you have to find out that you have cancer, find out when it’s at stage 0, if possible.”
Strong and Friedle both rallied around their friend and longtime colleague.
“It’s mind-boggling. Right now, my wife and I know four people—four friends—who are dealing with breast cancer,” said Strong, also encouraging fans to “get checked.”
“And for men, too—prostate exams and colonoscopies—these are all things that are super important, so don’t put them off,” Friedle added.
