Constance Zimmer is ready to share her recent health battle with the world.
The 55-year-old actress revealed her stage 0 breast cancer diagnosis in an Instagram post on Sunday to mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
“On March 13th, when I was away from home — I heard these words from my doctor over Zoom: ‘You have DCIS, also referred to as Stage 0 breast cancer,’” she wrote to her followers. “The silence was deafening. Here I was surrounded by women sharing their secrets about their Midlife truths — and I was holding onto the biggest secret I’d ever held.”
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DCIS stands for ductal carcinoma in situ, meaning the abnormal cells are inside the breast’s milk ducts and haven’t spread into surrounding tissue. It’s considered noninvasive breast cancer, but treatment may still involve surgery and radiation, according to the American Cancer Society.
Pushing for Treatment Options
After getting off the Zoom call, Zimmer called her husband and headed home to tell their daughter in person.
“The mental toll that followed was overwhelming on certain days as I began talking to many more doctors than I would’ve liked,” she wrote. Most recommended a mastectomy, or surgery to remove the breast, as the quickest way to remove the mass.
“What if I want to save my boob instead?” she recalled asking. She eventually found a doctor who felt confident she could operate without removing her breast. “It did take 3 surgeries — 3 weeks in a row, but she did it; she saved my breast, and it looks good too!” the UnREAL star shared with her fans.
Zimmer was also promoting Love Story, in which she plays Carolyn Bessette’s mother, Ann Messina Freeman. “During all of this I was out on a very public press tour for Love Story, while keeping my diagnosis and treatment private,” she wrote. “I then followed my surgeries with radiation, while celebrating my Emmy Nomination.”
Encouraging Early Detection
Zimmer says she’s now cancer-free, and she has some advice for other women: get checked before they notice anything unusual. “Talking about it can remind women to please not wait until you have symptoms to get yourself checked in all ways possible,” she wrote.
DCIS usually doesn’t cause symptoms and is often found on a screening mammogram. In other words, you don’t have to feel a lump or notice a change for screening to find something that needs treatment.
“From hospital gowns to Emmy glamour, this was one hell of a ride,” Zimmer concluded.
