Singer, model, actress, and entrepreneur Teyana Taylor has revealed she underwent emergency surgery after she discovered lumps in her breast.
Taylor’s reality television show We Got Love: Teyana and Iman, following her life with NBA husband Iman Shumpert, saw the ‘Rose In Harlem’ singer open up about the surgery in its most recent episode, titled ‘A Family Emergency’.
As reported by Billboard.com, Taylor’s surgeon, Dr. Altman, had to perform a “complicated” surgery to remove some of her breast tissue, described as “dense”, so samples could be sent to pathology. The results came back all clear.
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“I just want this to be the last time I go through this,” Taylor said. “Cancer runs through my family, so it’s a scary thing both for me and Iman.”
And Taylor has every right to be concerned with her family history.
According to the National Institutes of Health, an individual with a family history of cancer has inherited an increased risk for cancer from one of their elder family members. This inherited risk for cancer is caused by a small change (called a mutation) in a gene, which can be passed from one generation to the next in a family. The gene with the mutation is also called a "cancer susceptibility gene."
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Since this cancer susceptibility gene is inherited, it is found in every cell of the body, but the working copy of the gene keeps each cell working properly. However, if the working copy of the gene in a cell becomes damaged by a mutation, that cell can lose its growth control and become cancerous. Thus, individuals who inherit a cancer susceptibility gene have a much greater chance for developing certain cancers in their lifetime. However, not everyone with an inherited cancer susceptibility gene will develop cancer.
When someone inherits this type of gene mutation from a parent, they have an increased risk to get a certain type (or types) of cancer. Some cancers that can be hereditary are:
- Breast cancer
- Colon cancer
- Prostate cancer
- Ovarian cancer
- Uterine cancer
- Melanoma (a type of skin cancer)
- Pancreatic cancer
After undergoing the procedure, Taylor's first thoughts were on her two daughters, Junie, 5, and Rue, 11 months, whom she shares with the NBA star. "When will I be able to hold my babies again?"
However, she was told that she wouldn’t be able to physically lift up her two children for at least six weeks due the surgery impacting her chest and underarms.
"Rue don’t understand what’s going on. She’s like, 'Pick me up, hello, what are you doing?' I can’t do any tight hugs. I don’t even know if I’m going to last six weeks," Teyana said at the time.
"It's tough. I'm definitely overwhelmed because I miss my kids so much. I miss Iman so much. I think that's probably the longest I've been away from them," Teyana said in a confessional on the show.
Once she returned to her home in Atlanta and reunited with her children, she said, “I accept every single body scar, everything that comes with mommy-hood, but the changes – physically, mentally, emotionally, it’s crazy. As mummies, we really are super-women."
"It's been a rough year for me, but I feel like I, like, overcame it and I did a great job of balancing everything, trying to be mommy, trying to be wife, trying to be entrepreneur and everything else I have going on," added Taylor. "I just want to enjoy this moment and try not to think of the negative."
We Got Love Teyana & Iman airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on E! Entertainment Television.
What to Do if You Find a Lump
If you feel a lump in your breast like Teyana, try not to panic or worry. Most lumps are not breast cancer, but something less serious, such as a benign breast condition.
Some lumps go away on their own. In younger women, lumps are often related to menstrual periods and go away by the end of the cycle.
However, if you find a lump (or any change in your breast or underarm area), see your health care provider to be sure it’s not breast cancer.
Breast Lump Types
Many women’s breasts feel lumpy. Breast tissue naturally has a bumpy texture.
Some women have lumpier breasts than others. In most cases, this lumpiness is no cause to worry.
If the lumpiness can be felt throughout the breast and feels like your other breast, then it’s probably normal breast tissue.
Lumps that feel harder or different from the rest of the breast (or the other breast) or that feel like a change are a concern and should be checked. This type of lump may be a sign of breast cancer or a benign breast condition (such as a cyst or fibroadenoma).
See a health care provider if you:
- Find a new lump (or any change) that feels different from the rest of your breast
- Find a new lump (or any change) that feels different from your other breast
- Feel something that’s different from what you felt before
If you’re not sure whether you should have a lump (or any change) checked, see your provider.
