Television chef Sandra Lee revealed on Tuesday that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and will undergo a double mastectomy to ensure the growth is removed entirely.
“Life can turn on a dime,” Lee said in an interview with PEOPLE, shortly after announcing the diagnosis on Tuesday’s Good Morning America. She said she had begun documenting her treatment on video to raise awareness about early detection.
Her longtime partner, New York governor Andrew Cuomo, wrote in a statement that he was “devastated” by the diagnosis, but praised Lee for her “determination, resolve and grace.”
“While she has kept her illness private until now,” Cuomo wrote, “Sandy has bravely decided to speak openly about her illness in order to remind women of the potentially lifesaving power of early detection. I fully support her decision.”
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