Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles, reveals she has breast cancer
Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles, has publicly spoken for the first time about being diagnosed with breast cancer.
Tina Knowles, la mère de Beyoncé@getty images
The details of her health scare are revealed in her new book, Matriarch: A Memoir. Tina Knowles discovered the illness during a mammogram appointment that had been delayed for several years.
“My doctor told me I had breast cancer,” she wrote. “A small tumor in my left breast was cancerous; the larger mass in my right breast was benign, but it needed to be removed as well.”
She added: “She told me it was stage 1A and assured me that my prognosis was good. The next step was to consult an oncologist and a breast surgeon.”
Tina Knowles waited until the day of the diagnosis to share the news with Beyoncé. “She took it well, stayed positive, and I could already see her mind going to work, approaching this like a task to be handled with precision,” she said of Beyoncé’s reaction to the diagnosis.
“She found me the best specialist, and I clearly remember her saying: ‘I want you to get a second opinion on the treatment plan,’” Knowles added.
The Texas native said her daughter “reached out to one of the best breast surgeons in the country” so she could have a private consultation. After undergoing surgery, which also included a breast reduction, the 70-something-year-old wrote that she is now cancer-free.