From A-list celebrities to the people in our own lives, breast cancer can can truly happen to anyone — and the stats show it. After skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer in US women, according to the American Cancer Society, with 1 in 8 US women expected to develop breast cancer at some point in their lives. Breast cancer is also the second-leading cause of cancer death in women, behind lung cancer, and the number one cause of cancer death in the US among Black and Hispanic women, per breastcancer.org. And studies have shown that Black women are three times as likely to be diagnosed with a more severe form, called triple-negative breast cancer.
While breast cancer mainly occurs in middle-aged and older women (the median age for diagnosis is 62), anyone at any age can develop breast cancer, including men. (Per the CDC, 1 out of every 100 breast cancer cases in the US is found in a man.) The numbers are scary, but getting an early diagnosis can lead to better outcomes and higher survival rates. That means things like self-exams, speaking to your doctor as soon as you feel something off, and generally raising awareness about breast cancer can literally save lives.
The following celebrities have taken on that duty. From Today show anchor Hoda Kotb to singer Kylie Minogue to the Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, all of these celebs have faced breast cancer in their own lives and spoken about their experience to increase awareness, and connect to millions of patients around the world who are fighting the same fight.
A version of this post was originally published in 2019.