Danielle Fishel is sharing how she informed her husband and their two young children about her early breast cancer diagnosis.
In an episode of the Amy & T.J. podcast, hosted by Amy Robach and T. J. Holmes, released on Sunday, Oct. 20, the 43-year-old Boy Meets World alum reflected on a significant conversation she had with her husband, Jensen Karp, and their sons, Adler Lawrence, 5, and Keaton Joseph, 3.
“It was hard for me to have to tell my husband,” the actress said, noting that Karp’s parents had already died.
“His mom died in 2022 from lung cancer, and she lived with us while she was going through chemo and through her cancer treatment.”
“And my oldest son, Adler, was 3 when she passed, and he was very close to her. And one of my big concerns when he asked, ‘Where did grandma go? Why is grandma not here anymore?’ ” she said.
Fishel said talking about death with her oldest needed to be done carefully.
“My big concern was that if we tell him that she was sick, he’s gonna think the next time he gets a cold that he’s gonna die, or that the next time mommy or daddy is sick, he’s gonna think we’re gonna die,” she said.
“And so I wanted to be honest with him about the fact that she had cancer and that cancer doesn’t always mean that you die, but sometimes it does.
“And in grandma’s case, that’s what it was. And so when I was diagnosed, my fear was, I’m normally so honest with my kids, but I can’t tell them I have cancer.”
She never told her boys that she had cancer, instead saying, “I had a boo boo that I had surgically removed from my body, and they needed to be gentle with me.”
Adler noticed that she had recovered enough to play rough and asked her if she was okay.
“I was so happy to tell him that, yes, my boo boo was all better,” she said.
“My friends, my family, the breast cancer community, I’ve never felt more loved and supported than I have in these last three months.”
Olekanma Favour is a resourceful, self-motivated, and result-driven writer with a passion for crafting compelling narratives and insightful content. She loves tackling complex topics and weaving engaging stories.
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