“Bachelorette” alum Katie Thurston has been battling stage 4 breast cancer for more than a year. Now, her mom is battling the same disease.
Katie Thurston Reveals Mom’s Breast Cancer Diagnosis
Thurston took to Instagram on Monday, January 19, to announce the devastating news to fans who have been following along on her journey.
“Life update: my mom has #breastcancer. I flew to Seattle this weekend to be with her at her first appointment. I want to make sure she is getting proper care and information,” she captioned a series of photos with her mother. “I hate that we have to be our biggest advocate but also, it’s what will save your life. Dense breasts need more than a mammogram to screen for cancer and yet somehow my mom had never been referred for further imaging. We are getting more answers today but I believe our own advocacy allowed us to catch this early.”
The former reality star explained that her mom was diagnosed “a few weeks ago,” after her mammogram results came back as “negative” and “probably benign.”
“[The doctors] also notated her dense breasts but didn’t recommend further imaging,” Thurston added. “They told her to come back in a year for her annual mammogram. They never suggested a breast ultrasound.”
According to the former “Bachelor” contestant, who has been through the process herself, “ultrasounds can find cancer hidden within dense breasts.”
After encouraging her mother to seek further testing, “suspicious masses” were located. After and MRI and biopsies, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, just two weeks after her “‘normal’ mammogram.”
Thurston urged fans who have similar “dense breasts” to “further imaging such as a breast ultrasound and breast MRI.”
Katie Thurston’s Cancer Update
Thurston recently shared an update on her own battle with stage 4 breast cancer
After finding a small lump in her breast in late 2024, Thurston was diagnosed with breast cancer in early 2025.
In October, she shared that she was forced to postpone her scheduled double mastectomy due to complications with her liver.
“So, I’m currently headed to my monthly blood draw, because my liver is having some issues,” Thurston began in a video shared via Instagram on January 17. “I did just have a liver MRI…The cancer does not exist there. That does not mean I’m cancer-free. I’m not quite there yet. But, my hope is to get my liver enzymes down, because they are elevated.”
While the “cancer-free” liver is a positive update, she explained that due to her complications, she was forced to “pause” her cancer medications.
“Because when you have stage 4 breast cancer, not taking your medication is very scary,” she added.
