Miranda McKeon.Photo: Patty Connelly Photography
Miranda McKeonis ready to tackle the next step in her breast cancer treatment process: a double mastectomy.
The 19-year-oldAnne with an Estar wasdiagnosed with breast cancer in mid-June, an extremely rare occurrence for a teenager, after she found a lump on her chest. In the months since, she’s undergone eight weeks of intensive chemotherapy that left her “a bit bare,” she wrote in an Instagram post reflecting on the experience.
On Wednesday, nearly a month after her last round of chemo, McKeon is set to have a double mastectomy, “the surgery that I’ve been anticipating for almost 5 months,” she wrotein a new post.
“This will get rid of any cancer and significantly decrease my risk of reoccurrence in the future,” she added. “This also means that 🥳I will be cancer free🥳!”
McKeon explained thatafter thoroughly researching her optionswith her mom, they decided she will have a sensation preserving mastectomy, meaning that “more care is taken when cutting nerves and nerve grafts are done to reconstruct cut nerves,” and she’ll retain feeling in her chest, unlike traditional mastectomies where the nerves aren’t repaired.
“While it will certainly take a bit of time, I’m so grateful that I will return to looking and feeling like myself!” she said.
After the surgery, McKeon will begin radiation treatments to destroy any remaining cancer cells and reduce the chance of recurrence.
“As always, I can’t thank everyone enough for their continued support,” she said. “The people in my life show up for me each and everyday in ways that are so tender and heartwarming. I’m one lucky girl!!!!!!”
McKeon spoke with PEOPLEone month after her diagnosis and said that her goal with her treatment, other than stopping her cancer, was to “find the beauty in all of this.”
“I wouldn’t have chosen this, I didn’t choose this, I don’t think anyone would choose this,” she said. “But I’m making it my job to try and pull something out of this.”
RELATED VIDEO: Anne with an E’s Miranda McKeon on Using Social Media as Therapy While Fighting Breast Cancer
source: people.com
