Country star Jillian Cardarelli recently shared on social media that she is now undergoing treatment for breast cancer.
In her optimistic update on Instagram, she shared three smiling photos from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston. Her husband sports agent Brian Parker appears right beside her in one photo. The second features medical professionals by her side, and the last shows her grinning with some teddy bears.
“The first big step is behind me,” she wrote. “Now it’s time to heal while we wait for the next step in my treatment plan. Thank you to the incredible team at Dana-Farber for your kindness, compassion, and support throughout such a challenging and stressful process. I’m truly so grateful to be in your care.”
She also showed appreciation for the people who have expressed their support during her health journey.
“Thank you to everyone who has prayed for me, checked in, and lifted me up,” she said. “One day at a time. As always … #CheckYourGirls.”
Last month, she shared that she was due to start filming Season 2 of the Great American Family series “Crossroad Springs” when she received her life-changing diagnosis.
“If breast cancer can happen to an otherwise healthy young woman with no family history of breast cancer, negative genetic testing, and 7 years before routine screening is recommended, it can happen to anyone,” she said on Instagram. “My hope is that sharing this journey encourages other young women to get familiar with their bodies, trust their instincts, advocate for themselves, and never ignore something if it feels off. While this diagnosis has challenged me in every way imaginable, it has never shaken my faith.”
In an interview with PEOPLE, she was honest about her feelings about the diagnosis.
“I feel fear and sadness,” Cardarelli said. “I’m like, why did this happen? I do not fit the profile of somebody that should get cancer at 33 years old. So yes, there’s a little bit of anger there. But I’m not angry at God. I’m leaning on Him more than ever.”
Back in 2017, Cardarelli made Rolling Stone’s list of “10 New Country Artists You Need to Know,” describing her sound as “Faith Hill’s voice singing a Top 20 Billboard country hit from last week.”
She told the publication how country music inspired her while she was growing up.
“Shania Twain’s Come On Over was my anthem album. I burned that CD out in my boom box as a child. Shania, who really broke a lot of barriers with what she wore and how she sounded, opened the door for women to push the envelope. You can look back on that like, if she can do it, there’s surely someone else to break those walls,” she told the magazine.
