Boy Meets World‘s Danielle Fishel recently opened up about a DNA-altering medical diagnosis she received that will require surgery in the near future.
The star, who played Topanga Lawrence in the popular 90s sitcom, revealed that she was diagnosed with breast cancer during Sunday’s (August 18) episode of iHeartRadio rewatch podcast, Pod Meets World.
“I would like to share something with our listeners, something that Rider and Will were two of the first people I told the news to. I was recently diagnosed with DCIS, which stands for ductal carcinoma in situ, which is a form of breast cancer. 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.”
The actress continued, sharing that she would need to undergo surgery to remove the cancer.
“I’m going to be fine. I’m having surgery to remove it. I’m going to be on some follow-up treatment. I’ve had to make a lot of decisions over the last couple of days.”
Fishel is still ironing out a few uncertainties surrounding her treatment plan as she readies to meet with an oncologist and radiologist who will provide more clarity on the future of her condition. Amid explaining news of her diagnosis, the entertainment icon and proud mother-of-two encouraged listeners to uphold their yearly appointments as the only reason she found out she had cancer was by scheduling her annual mammogram.
“I have some big decisions ahead of me about what I want to do for treatment. I don’t have all the answers yet. I did want to let our dear listeners know. We’re going to try and have it not affect things, but [there are] possibilities we may have to put things on hold depending on what treatments I go through.”
Boy Meets World co-star and fellow podcast host Rider Strong (who played Shawn Hunter) resounded Fishel’s message, encouraging listeners to regularly get screened so that cancer can be caught in a treatable stage.
“It’s mindboggling. Right now, my wife and I know four people — four friends — who are dealing with breast cancer. For men, too, prostate exams and colonoscopies … don’t put them off.”
Listen to everything Fishel had to say about her diagnosis in the latest episode of Pod Meets World on iHeartRadio now.
