Rachel Zegler got real on her Instagram Story over the weekend, revealing to her followers that she had a breast cancer scare two years ago at 19 years old.
The Golden Globe-winning actress shared a snap of the scar on her breast along with a message encouraging others to undergo regular health screenings.
“Two years ago I found a lump in my breast and went through what was undoubtedly the scariest week of my life,” Zegler wrote, continuing, “No OB/GYN was taking new patients due to the backlog of the pandemic, but I was fortunate to have the care of my pediatrician who prescribed me an ultrasound, which led to an out-patient biopsy procedure.”
The actress noted that although the biopsy revealed the lump was benign, the scar now “serves as a reminder to check my breasts regularly for any irregular growth.” She emphasized the importance of early detection, playfully encouraging her followers to “Check your t—y meat :).”
Aside from skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women in the United States. According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer accounts for roughly 30% of all new diagnoses in women each year. The average chance of a woman developing breast cancer in her lifetime is 1 in 8 (13%), and the average chance a woman will die from breast cancer is 1 in 39 (2.6%).
Other notable celebrity women who have faced breast cancer scares and diagnoses are Olivia Newton-John, Wanda Sykes, Christina Applegate, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.
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Before you go, click here to see more photos from Olivia Newton-John’s life.
