Giuliana Rancic's Breast Cancer Battle: Where Is She Now?

“I have a newfound respect for women who have been through breast cancer and this surgery.” and “I want to encourage everyone to be proactive with their health and get checked out,” are just some of the statements television personality Giuliana Rancic has made since fighting her breast cancer battle. 

As a breast cancer survivor herself, she had to balance a career on live television while also fighting the biggest battle of her life, a feat not many can say they’ve accomplished.

For those of you who have never heard of Giuliana Rancic, you have now. Giuliana was born in Naples, Italy before immigrating to the United States as a child. She’s known for working with co-host Ryan Seacrest on E! News, E!’s Fashion Police, co-hosting at the Golden Globes and the Academy Awards, starring in her own reality television show Giuliana and Bill, and creating and producing MTV’s Celebrity Rap Superstar.

After her wedding to her husband Bill Rancic, they attempted to have children. After many failed attempts, she tried IVF (invitro fertilization) to help her get pregnant. After two failed attempts at IVF, her doctor recommended she have a mammogram before her third round. Her mammogram revealed breast cancer, and this is where her battle with breast cancer began.

More bad news

In the middle of heartbreaking fertility issues, the last thing Giuliana expected to hear was that she had breast cancer. After the initial diagnosis, she was scheduled for a lumpectomy to remove the lump in her breast. Giuliana states in an interview that after the initial lumpectomy, they assumed they were finished with breast cancer. They were high fiving one another and laughing, only to get the devastating news that the doctors hadn’t gotten it all. The doctors told her she needed to consider a mastectomy, and her and her husband sat down to write out the pros and cons of both a mastectomy and a second lumpectomy.

After seeing a family member pass away from kidney cancer, Giuliana questioned whether or not to make the radical decision to have a mastectomy. Her thought process was, “Do you want to be looking over your shoulder for the next 40 or 50 years?” Which is what they would have to be doing if she underwent a second lumpectomy. They understood the importance of decision making without letting emotions get in the way. Difficult decisions had to be made to ensure the cancer wouldn’t come back.

They made the decision to go ahead with the double mastectomy, but even with the decision made, Giuliana had doubts. She spoke about a time when she was convinced she couldn't go through with the surgery. Her husband told her that he would call the doctor first thing in the morning.

In the morning when Giuliana had calmed down from the previous night, she decided not to call the doctor. She said that, even though she stuck to her guns, she felt like she had control the entire time. If she decided she didn't want to go through with the surgery, it was her decision and her husband wasn’t going to stop her.

Read on to learn more about Giuliana's story and what she's up to now.

Photo: Giuliana Rancic by linkedineditors