TGIN Founder Discusses Breast Cancer Diagnosis
BlackDoctor.org: I remember running into you often at LA Fitness years ago and I know your health is something that you take very seriously.
Was the possibility of breast cancer something that was on your radar?
Chris-Tia Donaldson: Absolutely not. There is no history of breast cancer in my family.
I was also just 36 at the time of my diagnosis. When I thought of breast cancer, I thought of people like Sheryl Crow, Melissa Ethridge, Joan Lunden, Suzanne Sommers and Christina Applegate.
I never gave much consideration that this was something that could happen to me.
Breast Cancer Self Exam
BDO: How did your diagnosis come about? Did you discover something abnormal during a self-exam?
CD: I was actually taking a shower and noticed it then. Initially, I thought it was hormonal-related. I had a cyst removed from my breast in my 20s.
Given my age and the fact that I felt perfectly healthy, breast cancer was the furthest thing from my mind.