'Boy Meets World' star Danielle Fishel diagnosed with breast cancer
Fishel says she is undergoing surgery to treat early stage breast cancer
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Danielle Fishel has some tough news to share about her health.
The "Boy Meets World" actress, 43, revealed that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer on Monday's episode of "Pod Meets World," the podcast she shares with former co-stars Will Friedle and Rider Strong.
"I would like to share something with our listeners, something that Rider and Will were actually two of the first people I told the news to," she began before saying, "I was recently diagnosed with DCIS, which stands for ductal carcinoma in situ, which is a form of breast cancer."
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‘BOY MEETS WORLD’ ORIGINAL TOPANGA ACTRESS SAYS SHE WAS FIRED FOR NOT BEING ‘PRETTY ENOUGH’
Danielle Fishel revealed she has a form of breast cancer. (Paul Archuleta/Getty Images; ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content)
Fishel continued, "It is very, very, very early. It’s technically stage zero. To be specific, I was diagnosed with high-grade DCIS with micro-invasion. And I’m going to be fine. I’m having surgery to remove it. I’m going to be on some follow-up treatment. I’ve had to make a lot of decisions over the last couple of days."
"It would be so much easier with as busy as I am, with the 50 jobs I have and the two kids and the husband and the house, to say, ‘I don’t have time for that. I went to my mammogram last year, I was fine last year, I don't need to go again this year.'"
She said she always thought that if she ever got cancer, she would "suffer in silence," only telling those closest to her and waiting until she had beaten it to say anything publicly. She said that allows a person to share "the pretty picture of it all," but she later realized, "the place you have the most to learn from is at the very beginning of a story or in the very messy middle of the story."
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Fishel said that it was only after speaking to close friends and family members that she began to realize how many people have been affected by cancer.
From left to right, Will Friedle, Danielle Fishel and Rider Strong pose for a photo during a game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Pittsburgh Pirates at Citizens Bank Park on Sept. 27, 2023 in Philadelphia. (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
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"The only reason I caught this cancer when it is still stage zero is because the day I got my text message that my yearly mammogram had come up, I made the appointment," she explained. "And the fact that I am good about going to my doctor’s appointments, when truthfully, it would be so much easier with as busy as I am, with the 50 jobs I have and the two kids and the husband and the house, to say, ‘I don’t have time for that. I went to my mammogram last year, I was fine last year, I don't need to go again this year.'"
"Instead, I was like, ‘Yeah, it’s time. Got to make that appointment.’ And they found it so, so, so early that I’m going to be fine."
Danielle Fishel appeared in all seven seasons of "Boy Meets World." (ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
From left to right, Danielle Fishel, Ben Savage, Rider Strong and Will Friedle pictured in 1995 during a season two shoot of "Boy Meets World." (ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images)
Fishel said she wanted to share her story with more people "because I hope that it will encourage anyone to get in there. If it’s time for your appointment, if you’ve never had an appointment before, get in there. If you have to find out that you have cancer, find out when it’s at stage zero, if possible."
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She repeated that she is going to be "fine" but admitted that she does have "some big decisions" to make about her treatment.
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"I don’t have all the answers yet," she said. "I still have doctors I need to meet with, oncologists, radiation specialists, hormone therapists, all kinds of stuff that I have still in front of me to decide."
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Reps for Fishel did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment.
Danielle Fishel still has "some big decisions" to make after receiving a cancer diagnosis. (David Livingston/FilmMagic)
Friedle and Strong, who played Eric and Shawn on "Boy Meets World" alongside Fishel's Topanga, voiced their support for her. She warned listeners that their podcast schedule might shift as she faces treatment, but they assured her that that was "the last thing" she should worry about.
They also suggested that in addition to breast exams, listeners stay up to date on things like prostate exams and colonoscopies.
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Friedle told her, "You may have some sucky days coming up, but we're here for you."