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[1] Finally, this hour: October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and this morning, the star of one of America's favorite '90s TV shows is using her own experience to remind everyone to be proactive about their health.
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[2] Many of us will recognize Danielle Fishel from her role as Topanga Lawrence on Boy Meets World and the show spin-off Girl Meets World. Now, she's also a breast cancer survivor and a paid spokesperson for Aflac.
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[3] Aflac just published a new study that shows 77% of Americans are delaying routine health screenings that could detect serious diseases like cancer. That number jumps up to 84% for Millennials—people between the ages of 28 and 43. That's a time when those screenings start to matter the most.
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[4] Danielle Fishel joins us now. Danielle, good morning! We are so excited to have you. Thank you for joining us. So, you were diagnosed with breast cancer back in July at just 43 years old. What was your first thought when you heard that news? How much of a shock was it to you, and of course, how are you doing now?
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[5] "Thank you so much for having me. Yeah, it was a total shock when I got the news. I was feeling very healthy. I was looking very healthy. I regularly see my doctor. I had no reason to suspect I had cancer. I had also had a clean mammogram one year before."
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[6] "So, I'm incredibly grateful that when I got my reminder to make my appointment, I made it that day because I found out I had cancer only a year after hearing I did not. So, I'm so glad I was on top of it."
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[7] I know you've called yourself lucky that your cancer was caught early at stage zero. First of all, tell us more about what stage zero means and about the importance of annual screening so that you can detect something so early.
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[8] "Yeah, so, you know, as the Aflac Wellness survey found, 56% of people do find out that they have cancer at these routine screenings. So, that's one of the reasons why they are so important."
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[9] "Stage zero means it is technically 'pre-cancer,' but it is treated as if it is exactly like stage one or stage two. I had to surgically remove it. I will most likely need targeted or maybe whole breast radiation moving forward."
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[10] "My cancer was estrogen-positive, which means it's feeding off of estrogen. So, I'm going to have to go on an estrogen blocker."
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[11] "And yeah, so mine was aggressive, it was high-grade. So, had I put off my annual exam for any longer, it may not have been stage zero, it could have been stage one or stage two. I didn't have any lymph node involvement, but I could have had it if I put it off any longer."
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[12] What has the response been since you've opened up about your diagnosis, and what do you want people who are hearing about this to know, anybody maybe going through their own journey as well?