Hallmark actress Yan-Kay Crystal Lowe, 44, has been diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer, a journey she described as “scary, strange, and humbling” in an essay published by PEOPLE on Friday.
The Canadian actress, a mother of two, first found a large mass in her right breast in February, the essay noted. However, initial tests, including a mammogram and an ultrasound, did not detect any abnormalities. After the mass grew to 10 centimeters and other symptoms appeared, she underwent a biopsy.
“Three days later, my G.P. called to say I had invasive carcinoma in one of the ducts,” Lowe wrote. “I still remember getting off the phone, curling up into a ball, and just bawling.”
In August, she received the official diagnosis of stage 3 invasive ductal carcinoma, a type of cancer that begins in the milk ducts and spreads to surrounding tissue. Lowe said her treatment will involve chemotherapy, a double mastectomy, radiation, and eventually, implants.
“As someone who’s never had any major illness, it was a lot to digest,” she wrote.
Lowe expressed deep gratitude for the support from her colleagues at Hallmark.
“Hollywood often gets a bad rap, but when you work with people who love you, they show up,” she noted.
She shared that producers for the “Hannah Swensen” series, Alison Sweeney and Craig Baumgarten, have adjusted schedules to allow her to direct an upcoming project after her treatment. Lowe also mentioned that Jeff Schenck with Hybrid Entertainment purchased her wigs and offered transportation to her appointments.
“And Hallmark… Let’s just say I have never been more grateful to be a part of a family that practices the values they preach,” she added.
The “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” star said she remains determined to face the disease head-on.
“It has stripped me down in ways I never saw coming, physically, emotionally, and spiritually,” she wrote. “And yet… I promise to persevere. To turn poison into medicine. To grow. That’s what I’m learning every single day.”
According to the Cleveland Clinic, invasive ductal carcinoma accounts for 80% of all breast cancer cases in females, particually women 55 and older. It is also the most common form of male breast cancer.
The Cleveland Clinic noted that during stage 3 of the disease, the cancer has spread to more than three lymph nodes and can cause breast skin inflammation.
Risk factors for the disease include smoking, consuming alcohol, obesity, radiation therapy to the chest area, starting your menstrual cycle earlier or later than usual, having children later in life and inherited abnormal gene or genes from biological parents.
This story was written with the assistance of AI.
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