From Hollywood to Home: Black Voices in Entertainment
- Katie Thurston diagnosed after a November lump; by March cancer had spread to her liver, resulting in stage 4 disease.
- Jeff Arcuri stood by her; Thurston emphasized you “can’t face cancer alone,” valuing family and friends' constant support.
- She shared emotional lows on Instagram, admitting it's hard to stay positive while treatment affects her liver and doses or surgeries change.
- Katie Thurston announced plans for a double mastectomy in November, while navigating biopsies, ports and ongoing check-ins.
- She discussed fearing the unknown, sometimes feeling like she’s dying, during an Uncomfortable Conversations appearance with Emmanuel Acho.
Katie Thurston is feeling “optimistic” about the next step in her health battle as she continues to grapple with stage 4 breast cancer.
Speaking to E! News on Thursday, October 9, The Bachelorette alum, 34, said she was “doing good, all things considered.”
She added, “I actually get my six-month scan on Monday, so I feel very optimistic about it.”
After finding a lump in November 2024, Thurston was diagnosed with breast cancer in February 2025. In March, the cancer spread to her liver, which put Thurston in stage 4.
Since then, Thurston has been battling the disease and told E! News that having her loved ones by her side during the journey – particularly her husband Jeff Arcuri – has been appreciated.
“You can’t face cancer alone,” she told the outlet. “You really have to rely on your friends and family. And to have someone who’s your partner, who’s right there with you every step of the way? It’s meant everything.”
Thurston also divulged that her diagnosis has caused her to approach day-to-day situations differently than she would have in the past.
“I’ve realized you never know what someone is going through,” she continued. “I find that I’m more patient with strangers. If someone is driving too slow or grumpy, you don’t know what they’re going through in their own life. And so I just feel like I’m more kind.”
Katie Thurston. (Photo by Paul Archuleta/Getty Images)
Thurston’s health journey hasn’t always been smooth sailing in an emotional sense, as well as physically.
The former reality TV star cried on Instagram on September 30, becoming emotional as she spoke to her followers about how she’s coping after being diagnosed with breast cancer.
“Tomorrow is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and I’m, like, totally crashing out if I’m being so for real,” Thurston said in the video posted to her Instagram Stories. “I don’t know what I’m even saying, guys. I just want to be so honest. I know I seem positive sometimes, but it’s very hard to be positive.”
She added, “I was very much looking forward to, like, the end of the year kind of being my final push and then it’s smooth sailing,” she said in the clip. “You know, like, treatment’s working, things are good. Instead, it’s like I’m hurting my liver, I’m lowering my dose of medication, I’ve postponed my surgery, which I haven’t even talked about yet.”
Katie Thurston is offering a candid glimpse at her new reality as she battles stage 4 breast cancer. “Lymph nodes, breast and liver biopsies,” Thurston, 34, wrote via her Instagram Stories on Sunday, March 30, sharing a topless selfie of her various ports and insertion sites. Thurston went on to share an important message with […]
Thurston previously shared via a September 19 Instagram post that was planning to get a double mastectomy “in November.”
In April 2025, Thurston also opened up about having “moments” when feels like she’s dying following her diagnosis.
“I think that comes from reading from other people’s experiences. Just like others, there’s just a lot of unknown. People just aren’t experienced with cancer,” Thursto, said during an April 17, appearance on the “Uncomfortable Conversations” video series with host Emmanuel Acho. “You usually hear stage 4, you hear that it’s spread to the liver, and I think automatically people think you have a short time to live.”
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