One week after her wedding, Katie Thurston revealed that her breast cancer has spread to her liver.
“After days of waiting, unfortunately, I did find out today that my breast cancer has spread to the liver,” the former Bachelorette, 34, said in an Instagram video on Friday, March 28. “It is fairly small, however it does put me at stage four.”
Thurston shared that she will now begin her “new treatment plan” which will involve “chemo” starting next Friday, April 4.
“I know stage four can sound very scary, and it can be,” she admitted. “However, given that I am triple positive and the spots on my liver are fairly small and detected early, I feel very optimistic on my outcome.”
Thurston added she felt “very confident” with her doctors and medical team.
Earlier this week, Thurston shared that she had a liver biopsy scheduled after spots were found. On Friday, Thurston explained that she went through “several” scans during her initial diagnosis including an ultrasound, mammogram, CT scan, MRI and more.
Thurston moved from Los Angeles to New York and transferred her care to her new location. Before treating her cancer, Thurston was focusing on fertility treatments. However, when she met with her doctors in New York, they ordered a PET scan for her.
“Unfortunately in my case, it did detect some spots on my liver that were a little suspicious,” she explained.
Thurston announced in February that she was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer.
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“I had a small lump in my breast around the 10’oclock [sic] spot,” she wrote via her Instagram Stories at the time. “I discovered it myself. Thought maybe it was my period [or] maybe it was muscle soreness from working out. But, eventually, this lump never went away.”
After the lump remained for a few months, Thurston visited her doctor for a mammogram. The test indicated the presence of cancerous tissue. She subsequently underwent a biopsy.
As Thurston has battled cancer, her husband, Jeff Arcuri, has been by her side. The couple tied the knot on Saturday, March 22, after deciding to move up their wedding amid the bride’s health issues.
“It was this kind gesture of him saying, truly, in sickness and in health,” Thurston exclusively told Us Weekly of the pair’s plan to wed following her diagnosis. “He is proving that he’s here to stay. He shows up every day, and he does it in ways that just continue to surprise.”
Acuri added, “I want to be able to be in the hospital with her and just be like, ‘My wife’s in there.’ There’s more power to that. I don’t want to be not with you for any of this.”
