Danielle Fishel, ‘Boy Meets World’ star, reveals breast cancer diagnosis
(CNN) — “Learning from the experiences of others” has motivated Danielle Fishel go public with her diagnosis of breast cancer.
The “Boy Meets World” star shared the news on the Monday episode of her “Pod Meets World” podcast, which she cohosts with her former costars Will Friedle and Rider Strong.
“I was recently diagnosed with DCIS, which stands for ductal carcinoma in situ, which is a form of breast cancer,” she revealed at the beginning of the podcast. “It is very, very, very early. It’s technically stage zero.”
Fishel, 43, shot to fame as a youth playing Topanga Lawrence on the hit ’90s sitcom. She explained that she “was diagnosed with high-grade DCIS with micro-invasion.”
According to Breastcancer.org, DCIS stands for “ductal carcinoma in situ” and “is breast cancer at the earliest stage.”
“DCIS isn’t life-threatening, but if you’re diagnosed with DCIS, you have a higher risk of developing invasive breast cancer later in life,” the site states. “About 20% to 25% of new breast cancers diagnosed in the United States are DCIS.”
Fishel sounded upbeat and positive about her diagnosis.
“I’m going to be fine. I’m having surgery to remove it,” she said. ”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.”
She also said she had always envisioned that should she get such news, she would keep it private. But Fishel cited author Glennon Doyle, paraphrasing “the place you have the most to learn from is at the very beginning of a story, or in the very messy middle of a story” and she decided to share her experience.
Fishel also said she credits acting quickly with her early diagnosis.
“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 said.
Fishel reprised her role in “Girl Meets World,” a spinoff which ran from 2014 to 2017. She is married to producer Jensen Karp and is a mother of two.