Five days after Hallmark star Yan-Kay Crystal Lowe underwent a double mastectomy, the latest step in her battle with stage three breast cancer, the actress and director revealed on February 24, 2026, that she’s struggling with the slow healing process.
Lowe wrote in the caption of her video update, “The universe said….mam…you think you can just power through everything? Jokes on you!!! Surgery was 5 days ago and I’m feeling it. I have to just be calm and sit. That’s all I can do. I have a call with my surgeon today so fingers crossed it all goes well”
Crystal Lowe Says She’s Struggling Because She Can’t ‘Power Through’ Post-Surgery
After revealing her cancer diagnosis in October 2025, Lowe went through four months of chemo and then had surgery on the morning of February 19. She updated fans from her bed two days later, still feeling “out of it” but hopeful.
In her selfie video on February 24, Lowe told her followers, “So it turns out that I hate this part of my journey more than I hate chemo because I can’t power through, and I can’t do anything.”
“I just have to stop,” Lowe lamented, and then laughed, “I hate that! But I’m gonna do it ’cause I have to heal.”
Lowe also shared that she’s begun to get “shooting pain sometimes now” as “all the medicine is kind of wearing off,” noting that now she’s just on her “regular pain meds.”
Mastectomy patients typically feel “sore and stiff for about six weeks,” according to the Cleveland Clinic, with strict instructions not to raise their arms or lift anything heavier than a gallon of milk for the first few weeks. Lowe likely has at least one Jackson-Pratt drain placed on each side of her torso, which have to be monitored and drained multiple times a day for several weeks, per Memorial Sloane Kettering Cancer Center.
The “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” star finished her honest video by groaning and then reiterating, “I hate when I can’t power through. Maybe that’s the lesson, I don’t know!”
Many Breast Cancer Survivors Left Notes of Encouragement for Crystal Lowe: ‘Holding Space for You’
GettyLowe was flooded with support from fans, including many breast cancer survivors who offered hope and understanding.
One wrote, “The pain of each part is SO REAL! I get it! (One year post double mx tomorrow, reconstruction coming next week.) Stopping and resting now IS your powering through, for now. Holding space for you for all of this!”
“The hardest part is waiting, but your body has gone through SOOO much,” another reminded Lowe. “Be patient be kind and listen to your body. It needs time to heal. Sending love and positive thoughts while you’re recovering. ❤️”
“Totally relate,” someone else wrote. “Cancer has a way of humbling us all. The journeys are different and individual but the lessons are similar.”
Another survivor recalled, “Everybody said to me You Got This and I know people meant well- but I wanted to shout out- I can’t do this on my own! Humbling and Lonely- I navigated my way thru some terrible sections of the journey! Power Thru was always my ammo until it suddenly wasn’t! But Love lifted me up and the Lord continues to be my strength when I’m running on empty! Hugs my Sweet Sister! You are Loved and Forever Beautiful because your Spirit will never be vulnerable to that C word!”
