Katie Thurston isn’t letting stage 4 breast and liver cancer derail her plans to have a family with her brand new husband Jeff Arcuri, 36.
The Bachelor Nation star, 34, had a Q&A on her Instagram Stories on Friday and called out the people who judge celebrities who use surrogates to have children.
She is especially prickly about the subject because it is likely that, given her cancer diagnosis, she will need to use a surrogate to have babies.
The former Bachelorette was asked if her doctors told her she’d ‘have to’ use a surrogate.
‘I never like the word “have to” with anything medical-related, kind of like “never say never,” Thurston answered.
‘However, yes, Jeff and I discussed the importance of my health and that, when the time comes, surrogacy will likely be the best option for us.’
Katie Thurston isn’t letting stage 4 breast and liver cancer derail her plans to have a family with her brand new husband Jeff Arcuri
The reality TV star added, ‘This is a friendly reminder to stop judging celebrities who pursue surrogacy. You don’t know what they have going on in their personal lives.’
Thurston also revealed in the Q&A session that she’s chosen to freeze embryos with Arcuri before she begins her cancer treatment next month.
‘I’m basically putting my ovaries into a temporary menopausal state (I like to say hibernation) to protect them from chemo,’ she shared.
‘It will also reduce estrogen production, which is particularly important in hormonereceptor-ER+/PR+ breast cancer as estrogen can fuel cancer growth,’ Katie explained.
She also explained that Zoladex, a medication used to treat hormone-dependent cancers, will ‘play a role in fertility preservation during treatment.’
‘I iced my stomach for three minutes before they did the injection. Painless all things considered. No symptoms that I noticed either.’
One week after she and Arcuri married, Katie revealed that her cancer had spread to her liver.
In another Instagram Stories post, the former Bachelor contestant explained how this new update will impact her treatment going forward.
The Bachelor Nation star, 34, had a Q&A on her Instagram Stories on Friday and called out the people who judge celebrities who use surrogates to have children
She is especially prickly about the subject because it is likely that, given her cancer diagnosis, she will need to use a surrogate to have babies
The former Bachelorette was asked if her doctors told her she’d ‘have to’ use a surrogate
‘I never like the word “have to” with anything medical-related, kind of like “never say never,” Thurston answered
‘The plan is essentially the same as my breast cancer,’ she explained, after a fan asked how doctors will treat the cancer in her liver.
‘The cancer that is within the liver is from the breast cancer spreading vs a new type of cancer. So in basic terms, my breast cancer is the root and will be the focus. Six rounds of chemo to start.’
She shared a photo from her hospital bed with a lengthy caption about the rise in the occurrence of breast cancer in young women.
‘Today I would have finally started treatment. But instead I have an appointment to discuss the suspicious spot found on my liver during my PET scan,’ she wrote.
‘And after that meeting, while still digesting the information, I’m heading to CNN for another interview. Why? Because this needs to be talked about more.’
‘Whatever is happening amongst younger women is scary. It’s not normal. And current medical standards haven’t shifted when it comes to mammogram schedules, leaving women to find out later about their diagnosis,’ she went on.
‘Last summer when I first felt that lump, I would have been more proactive had I known there was a rise in young breast patients happening.
‘Shout about it to your sister, your friend, your co-worker, your significant other.’
‘However, yes, Jeff and I discussed the importance of my health and that, when the time comes, surrogacy will likely be the best option for us’
Someone asked her about the first thing she’ll do after she rings ‘the bell’ – a symbolic and celebratory tradition that marks the completion of a phase of treatment, most commonly chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
‘Jeff and I are re-doing our trip to Maui and to the fullest. We were in Maui when I got the call and it really stole the trip from us,’ she replied.
Another person asked, ‘Who will go to appointments with you when hubby is back on tour?’
Katie wrote: ‘My treatment is spaced out as six treatments to start, three weeks apart. A treatment is essentially a dedicated day to travel/infusions/recovery. He will probably miss the first three but the good news is, if I’m up for it, I can still travel to where he is as early as the next day.’
As for how this has impacted her views on mortality and life, Katie wrote: ‘I know long term, a lot will change for me. In the immediate mindset, I’ve been both pleased and disappointed by who I have and haven’t heard from.’
She added, ‘Ultimately, not everyone is meant to be in your life forever. Some people are simply a season. Thank them for their time and move onward.’
