Danielle Fishel, who is best known for playing Topanga Lawrence on the ’90s sitcom Boy Meets World, has been diagnosed with breast cancer.
The 43-year-old actress shared the news on Monday’s episode of her podcast, Pod Meets World.
“I would like to share something with our listeners, something that Rider and Will were two of the first people I told the news to,” she said, opening the podcast.
“I was recently diagnosed with DCIS, which stands for ductal carcinoma in situ, which is a form of breast cancer. It is very, very, very early. It’s technically stage zero. To be specific, just because I like too much information all the time, I was diagnosed with high-grade DCIS with micro-invasion.”
Fishel assured fans she was “going to be fine,” though she would still need surgery to remove it and complete some “follow-up treatments.”
“I’ve had to make a lot of decisions over the last couple of days.”
The ’90s star credits a text message she received from her doctor’s office reminding her about scheduling a mammogram with catching the cancer in its earliest stages.
Fishel said she always planned if she ever had medical news to share that she would “suffer in silence.” But after learning from others’ experiences she realized it was best to share at the very beginning.
“But the place you have the most to learn from is at the beginning of a story or the very messy middle of a story,” she said.
Her co-hosts Rider Strong and Will Friedle expressed their support for the actress, adding in the importance of getting screened for a variety of cancers, especially since it seems “more prolific.”
“For men too, prostate exams and colonoscopies, these are all things that are super important. Don’t put them off,” Friedle said.
Meanwhile, Fishel urged fans to visit their doctor for preventative screenings.
“They found it so, so, so early that I’m going to be fine. I hope it will encourage anyone to get in there,” she told listeners. “If you have to find out you have cancer, find out at stage zero if possible.”
It’s always heartbreaking when someone reveals they have been diagnosed with cancer. Thankfully, it sounds like Danielle Fishel caught hers early. Hopefully her story will inspire others to get checked out sooner rather than later.