Wanda Sykes has been making fans laugh for years, but now the comedienne is bringing a touch of lighthearted humor and humanity to an all-too-devastating illness as she reveals that she once had breast cancer and a double mastectomy as a result of the disease.
Sykes made the surprising announcement during a preview clip of a recent appearance on “The Ellen Degeneres Show,” which is set to air today, Sept. 26. According to Sykes, doctors discovered her breast cancer in February after she’d undergone breast reduction surgery.
“I had real big boobs and I just got tired of knocking over stuff,” joked Sykes. “Every time I eat — oh Lord — I’d carry a Tide stick everywhere I go. My back was sore so it was time to have a reduction.
“It wasn’t until after the reduction that in the lab work, the pathology, that they found that I had DCIS [ductal carcinoma in situ] in my left breast — I was very, very lucky because [at the time, it was] basically stage-zero cancer. So I was very lucky.”
Though doctors suggested that Sykes could wait to act on the stage-zero cancer, Sykes explained that she decided to be proactive about preventing the disease’s progression.
“I had the choice of, you can go back every three months and get it checked. Have a mammogram, MRI every three months just to see what it’s doing,” explained Sykes. “But, I’m not good at keeping on top of stuff. I’m sure I’m overdue for an oil change and a teeth cleaning already.”
After learning of her family’s history of breast cancer on her mother’s side, Sykes decided to have a double mastectomy.
“I had both breasts removed, [so] now I have zero chance of having breast cancer.”
Sykes, who has 2-year old twins, Olivia Lou and Lucas Claude, with her wife, Alex, jokingly explained that she was hesitant to discuss her cancer ordeal with the public.
“How many things could I have? I’m black, then lesbian,” she joked. “I can’t be the poster child for everything! At least with the LGBT issues we get a parade, we get a float, it’s a party. I was real hesitant about doing this because, I hate walking. I got a lot of walks coming up!”
As fate would have it, Sykes “poster child” joke came true when shortly after the clip was released, Cindy Geoghegan from the Y-Me.Org National Breast Cancer Organization thanked the “Curb Your Enthusiasm” star for going public with her cancer battle, according to RadarOnline.
“We are so grateful that Wanda has gone public with the news of her cancer. Breast cancer is a very personal thing and most people don’t come forward, so it was really an act of heroism,” Geoghegan said in an exclusive interview with RadarOnline.com. “It raises awareness and sends a message to the public, ‘If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone.’ It expands the breast cancer dialogue — usually it’s about mammograms, genetic history, age, etc., but now people are learning it can be detected by going in to get a breast enlargement or reduction.
“October is all about Pink, but it’s really about people. It was very brave of Wanda to come out and share her story. There’s no telling how many people will detect their cancer when it’s still in the early stages because of Wanda has helped raise awareness.” –nicholas robinson
