'Bachelorette' Star Katie Thurston says she's losing her memory amid cancer battle

NBC News

2 days ago

Katie Thurston, star of 'The Bachelorette' Season 17, is giving the 'uncut, raw' reality of going through Stage 4 breast cancer treatment at age 34.
In a June 1 video updating her followers on her journey, Thurston said she just finished her second month of treatment. She also noted that her cancer treatment lasts 'technically forever.'
'After finishing two months of my medication, my hair is coming out in an unnatural amount of clumps — working on that,' she said, pointing to the camera. 'I'm losing my memory. That's great.'
Thurston recalled a recent event going through customs, likely referring to her return from a trip to Italy with husband Jeff Arcuri. She explained she was was asked where she was coming from and she couldn't remember.
'But yeah cancer is s-----,' Thurston continued. 'Sometimes, I'm like, 'Stop feeling bad for yourself.' Then other times, I'm like, 'No, you're allowed to feel bad for yourself. Cancer f------ sucks.''
In March, Thurston revealed in an Instagram video that her cancer spread to her liver. Now, she explained that she has to make 'big decisions on how to treat my liver.'
She had been considering radiation, ablation and histotripsy, which she said she ultimately chose to undergo with NYU Langone Health.
Histotripsy is a radiology procedure that uses ultrasound waves to treat liver tumors, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
'Anyways, it's National Cancer Survivor's Day and, you know, every day that I'm alive, I'm a survivor,' she said in her June video with a laugh.
Thurston added that she's trying different medications to suppress her hormones and help with the treatment of her cancer, and if they don't work, she many need her ovaries removed.
'But the vacation was nice. Now, I'm back at it again in New York City, trying to live my best life as a f------ cancer patient,' she concluded.
'The Bachelorette' alum revealed her breast cancer diagnosis in an emotional Instagram post Feb. 15. Having 'no family history' of breast cancer, she subsequently shared on March 18 in another Instagram video that she discovered a 'painful' small lump, which she described as a 'rubbery, marble' in her breast. Initially, she ignored the lump for 'several months,' thinking it was a result of premenstrual syndrome or exercise, but she eventually went her to the doctor.
'A reminder that you can't be 'too young' for breast cancer,' she captioned the March video.
On March 28, Thurston shared in another video update that she was informed the breast cancer had spread to her liver, which placed her at Stage 4. She added that she was also classified as triple positive.
A cancer identified as triple positive involves cancerous cells that grow using three different types of receptors, according to the the MD Anderson Cancer Center. This is a subtype of HER2 positive breast cancer, which is considered to be the most treatable type of breast cancer.
'I know Stage 4 can sound very scary, and it can be. However, given that I am triple positive, and the spots on my liver are fairly small and detected early, I feel very optimistic on my outcome,' she said in the video, adding that she planned to start chemotherapy treatment.
Thurston has also been open about her fertility journey amid cancer treatment, noting that she's freezing her eggs so she and Arcuri can try to have a child.
'Now that I have #stage4breastcancer , pregnancy would be a risk for me, especially as someone with HR+ breast cancer (feeds off hormones),' she captioned a May 24 Instagram video on their IVF journey. 'So in the future, we will peruse #surrogacy in hopes of starting our family.'