Singer and actress Shanice Wilson revealed she underwent a double mastectomy following a breast cancer diagnosis.
The “I Love Your Smile” singer, 51, shared her health scare with her followers in an Instagram video on Sunday.
Wilson said her doctor diagnosed her with stage 1 ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), which means a cancerous tumor was found in the milk ducts of her breast.
Stage 1 cancer is found in the place where the tumor formed and the cancer has not spread to other parts of the body.
Shanice said fear kept her from scheduling regular mammograms. She kept putting off the mammogram screenings until one day she felt unusual lumps in her breast.
She booked an appointment with her doctor, which led to the stage 1 DCIS diagnosis.
Three months ago, Shanice decided to remove both of her breasts as a precautionary measure.
“This is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to face in my life. But I know God is with me, and everything is going to go well,” she said.
She continued: “They told me they wanted to remove my breast… Since you’re going to remove one, you might as well remove both because I want them to be the same. I don’t want anything popping up later in the other breast.”
In her video caption, Shanice thanked God, her medical team, family, friends, and her husband, actor Flex Alexander, for their support throughout her ordeal.
“Thank God I caught it early,” she said. “I wasn’t ready to talk about it then, but I’m strong enough to talk about it now.”
Shanice urged her followers, age 40 and older, to get regular mammograms. “Please everyone, get checked,” she wrote.
Women should also perform weekly or monthly self-breast exams in the shower. Wet, soapy breasts make it easier to feel lumps and irregularities in your breasts.
Flex, 54, shared his wife’s post on his Instagram account. “You handled it like a warrior, babe! I’m glad you’re telling your story now!! You are my hero,” he wrote.
Shanice signed her first recording contract with A&M Records in 1986 at age 13. She released her debut album a year later.
Shanice and Flex share 2 children, Imani, 23, and Elijah, 20.
