[00:00:00] Adam Walker: From Susan G Komen, this is Real Pink. A podcast exploring real stories, struggles, and triumphs related to breast cancer. We’re taking the conversation from the doctor’s office to your living room.
We are lucky to be joined today by actress, mother, breast cancer survivor, and the newest Komen ambassador, Nicole Eggert. Best known for her roles on Baywatch and Charles in Charge. Nicole was diagnosed with stage two cribriform carcinoma breast cancer in December 2023 and is still currently undergoing treatment.
She’s been courageously open about sharing her diagnosis and is here to talk to us today about her breast cancer experience, the importance of continuing to live her life in the most positive way possible as she navigates her journey, and what prompted her to join Komen’s Share for Cures research registry. Nicole, welcome to the show.
[00:00:59] Nicole Eggert: Hi, thanks for having me.
[00:01:01] Adam Walker: It’s so good to have you. I got to say I love you. I said this before, but I’ll say it on the show. I love your body of work, your work on Charles in charge was great. I think you had some, parts on who’s the boss as well and Baywatch. So I’m in much more, but I really love your body of work and appreciate that. It’s so nice to get to talk to you today.
[00:01:20] Nicole Eggert: Thanks. Same. I appreciate that. Thank you very much.
[00:01:23] Adam Walker: Let’s start with your breast cancer story. Can you give us kind of the overview of your story and including how you were initially diagnosed?
[00:01:33] Nicole Eggert: I’m somebody that was very diligent about getting my yearly mammograms and because I have dense breast tissue, I was also getting ultrasounds. And I would also, go to my gynecologist appointments, and the gynecologist would do, like what we call self exam, right? They would do the feeling exam. So I always felt in the clear and I just never thought about it again.
And one day I was, was in November of 2023 and I had my appointment for October and I, I felt a throbbing in my breast. And all of a sudden, I had started, I felt like I was blowing up. Like was gaining weight like rapidly, suddenly and,
just throbbing. So I did a self exam and I found a large lump, and I panicked of course and called to get my appointment made sooner and to get a diagnostic mammogram instead of just my regular one.
So by mid October I had that appointment and had a biopsy the next day. And by late October, early November, I had my diagnosis.
[00:02:54] Adam Walker: Wow. Yeah. That’s crazy fast. And I understand that the type of cancer you have is pretty rare. Can you talk a little bit more about that?
[00:03:04] Nicole Eggert: Yeah. It’s called, invasive crib reform carcinoma. Apparently only 2 percent of breast cancer. It makes up 2 percent of breast cancer. It’s all a little bit confusing because first of all, it took me a long time to do any kind of research on what kind of cancer I had. It took me quite a while to even look at my diagnostic papers. I I was very reluctant, but when I did, it describes as a slow growing cancer, that typically doesn’t leave the breast. So I felt this okay, this is doable. We can deal with this. And at first I was diagnosed, when I went to my first oncologist, he said, we’ll probably do a lumpectomy. I don’t even know if you’ll need chemo. This is going to be fine. And then the MRI and the CT scan results came in. And I went to meet with the surgeon, which I thought I was meeting about a lumpectomy and he said, no, unfortunately, this is obviously mixed with other kinds of breast cancers.
We don’t really know. It’s all very, vague, but it’s large. It has satellite tumors. It’s in the lymphatic system. My heart stopped again, and I had to begin treatment immediately.
[00:04:34] Adam Walker: And I understand that right before you started treatment, you chose to change healthcare teams. So I’d love for you to talk about like what caused that change? Do you feel it was a good decision? Just tell us that story.
[00:04:47] Nicole Eggert: Yeah, a lot of people thought I was a little bit out of my mind, but, was scheduled to start chemo on a Monday and on Thursday I changed my entire team.
I just had some kind of gut feeling, I felt weird that the fact that the doctor so quickly said, Oh, it’s just, we’re just going to have a lumpectomy and this is nothing and you’re fine and it’s going to be over easy breezy, that on top of finding it hard to get in touch with the doctor. After I had met with the surgeon and found out how, massive my mass really was, the fact that I was just going to have four weeks of chemo and one type of chemo, there was all kinds of things, but I would mainly say it was my gut.
I just trusted my gut and I said, I’m gonna go meet with other doctors today and tomorrow. I have, these days I even if I have to force my way in and I did I went and sat down with the different oncologists and said you have to know me like I want you to know me as a person I want you to treat me as a friend. I don’t want to be another number. I don’t want to be another patient I want you to know who I am as a mother. And he said, okay you and he looked at my case and he said, he immediately called his, all of his friends and doctors that he works with. And we built a team right there, right then in his office.
And to find out that this oncologist was going to definitely, recommend the eight treatments. So eight months of chemo, two different types. I was going to do the AC and the T treatments, the protocol. I just felt so much more comfortable with that. And a lot of people probably would have chose to do the less treatment. But I really was just in this mindset of if we’re going to do this and we’re going to go at it, let’s hit it from every direction and as hard as we can.
[00:06:44] Adam Walker: Yeah. And I feel like if, you, it sounds like you’ve got the feeling that we’ll just say doctor number one, wasn’t taking it quite as seriously as you wanted it to be taken.
And therefore you found someone that would. And I think that’s, I applaud you for that. It takes a lot of, guts to do that. And that’s such a, I think it sounds like you’re glad you made that choice.
[00:07:05] Nicole Eggert: Very glad I made that choice. And listen, we have one opportunity, we have one chance at this. And when you get chemo, you can only get chemo that one, that kind of chemo one time. There’s no, want to go at it. Let’s, take the big steps.
[00:07:24] Adam Walker: Take the big swing, right? That’s what you strike me as that kind of person. Let’s take the big swing. I like it. I like it. Now, the way
you described it, you went through a lot in a very short amount of time. Like, how was that for you emotionally through that whole process?
[00:07:41] Nicole Eggert: It was very up and down. I would say mostly down in the beginning, scared, just terrified. Thinking about my children. My youngest is only 13, was 12 at the time and we don’t have any other family. It’s just us. And I just couldn’t fathom.
And it was something I couldn’t wrap my head around. And I did a lot of meditation. Everything I did all day long was surrounded about, meditation at being at peace with this. I worked with a shaman and I do a lot of guided visualization. I was doing everything. I was, and I was doing all the research on what could I do when I wasn’t doing chemo treatments? Like how do I help the chemo work? How can I change my diet? What are the scientifically backed, homeopathic treatments? Let’s do those too. And what are the ones that aren’t quite scientifically backed? The mushrooms and the apricot seeds and the soursop tea and all of that. Let’s do it. Let’s do it all. And, I just encompass myself with that and that was my focus is doing everything I could and there’s up days and down days and I when I felt really bad I had to say to myself Okay, you’re allowed to have these morbid doom thoughts. It’s very normal It’s very natural with what you’re dealing with but let’s also think about that there couldn’t be a different outcome and it can be. And so I would allow myself that and then quickly dismiss it and focus on a different outcome.
And it’s just because I knew I had to stay positive. I knew that only a positive, happy body was going to beat this. And was going to put good energy through my body and, healing and all of that, you can only do that with positivity. And, so I would allow myself, I definitely allow them. And I still do. I allow myself those negative moments and then take myself out of them.
[00:09:52] Adam Walker: Let’s, talk more about that thought process. Take me back to when you were first diagnosed and what was your first thought when you found out you had breast cancer?
[00:10:03] Nicole Eggert: My children. I just, it was my babies. That’s it. I, this isn’t about me. I can deal with not being here for myself. I can’t deal with not being here for my children and the pain that they would feel, that’s unacceptable to me and, unfathomable, and, that’s my driving force is, my kids.
[00:10:23] Adam Walker: Yeah. I can tell you’re a good mom. That’s the only answer there, right?
That’s the one. So yeah, no, that’s fantastic. I appreciate that. Now I know that you decided to go public and, share your story. Why did you decide to do that and how has that been received?
[00:10:43] Nicole Eggert: I decided to do it because I feel I think when we get this diagnosis, a lot of times we can’t help, but think what could have caused this? And my doctor said to me right off the bat, don’t think why me? Because this is happening to one in eight women. This is younger and younger. Just don’t ever think why me? And I didn’t, I wasn’t like, why me the victim, but I did think what could have contributed and especially mine being a hormonal driven cancer, it’s estrogen driven, feel like holding things in and holding stress in was a factor.
It was a big factor. It was a big issue in my life and I feel like it was a big factor towards my cancer and I had made a vow to myself that I wasn’t going to do that anymore and now here I am faced with this big load and I felt like, I didn’t want to keep it in for my own sanity and health and be, I wanted people to be able to talk to me about it.
If they were to see me. I was going to be bald very shortly, very quickly. Was not going to look and feel and act myself. I wanted people to feel comfortable and know that I was open about it. And then I wanted to be, someone for people who are struggling to maybe talk about it. Yet, like they’re not ready to be able to go there privately and relate and feel comfortable.
And I also think that, when you find out something like this and you’re, traumatized a bit, you can either retreat or be open about it. And I feel like when you’re open about it, you invite more opinions, more advice, other people’s experiences. And you can also, they embrace you. You can also find comfort there. So speaking out about it was a no brainer for me. There were just all of these lists, all of these things of why I wasn’t going to keep it quiet.
[00:12:42] Adam Walker: Yeah, you strike me as a person that sort of shares who you are and it would be a natural sort of thing to do that, I think, in this
scenario. So I’m glad you are, because we get to have this conversation and hopefully it gets to help a lot of people. To that end, I understand that you signed up for Komen’s Breast Cancer Research Registry Share for Cures. Why did you personally make that decision to get involved?
[00:13:06] Nicole Eggert: I’ve always been an organ donor. I donated my placentas when I had my children. I donated my cancer when it was removed.
I’m a big believer in cures and I feel like the way we get to cures is by these doctors and these scientists having information, having data, having Something tangible to work with. And, this for me hit home because it’s also looking to find why hormone driven cancers reoccur or re you know, and that to me is. It’s what I need, and it’s what we want answers for. And this is how, you get to a cure and solutions. And to me, again, a no brainer.
[00:13:53] Adam Walker: And I would assume you would also encourage other people to participate in the Sheriff for Cures clinical trials. Can you talk a little bit more about why they should participate?
[00:14:03] Nicole Eggert: Because this is everything, we’re getting so close. Treatment is so much better than it was and, it’s not a death sentence anymore. And the more information, the more data, the more DNA we can give, the more they can help. And this is, for us, for our daughters, for the future, It’s, not an invasion of your privacy.
Some people might think it is, it’s really not. Everything’s very private. But it’s just, it’s giving a hand, it’s free. You just, it’s giving a hand. That’s just invaluable, DNA for them to work with and, to do testing and get answers and that’s what we want, right? This is why we’re here.
If you’re listening now, this is you probably want answers too and this is how we get to them.
[00:14:54] Adam Walker: That’s right. This is how we get to answers. Nicole, this has been amazing. I love getting to talk to you. Thank you for sharing your story. I’m curious. Do you have any final advice that you’d like to share with our listeners?
[00:15:07] Nicole Eggert: I have a saying where I say, feel yourself up, men, women, everybody get to know yourself because if I had been doing the self exams prior, and more frequently I would have found it sooner and my journey would have been a lot easier. Do all of the things, do your mammograms, do your self exams, just do them because if you’re afraid of a mammogram, I really don’t want to see you faced with chemo or mastectomy or any of these things, and the sooner you find it, the easier it is to treat.
And it’s just going to be such an easier journey and a safer journey. It’s a win feeling yourself up as a win. Finding the cancer early is a win and, stay safe.
[00:15:55] Adam Walker: Yeah, that’s right. Stay safe. Nicole, thank you so much for joining us. Thank you for sharing your journey with us today.
[00:16:00] Nicole Eggert: Thank you for having me. It’s nice to talk to you.
[00:16:03] Adam Walker: Share for Cures is an inclusive breast cancer research registry where people who have or have had breast cancer can easily sign up online to contribute their breast health data in an effort to diversify research. You can learn more and join the registry by visiting Komen/ for cures today.
Thanks for listening to Real Pink, a weekly podcast by Susan G. Komen. For more episodes, visit realpink.komen.org and for more on breast cancer, visit komen.org. Make sure to check out @SusanGkomen on social media. I’m your host, Adam. You can find me on Twitter @AJWalker or on my blog, adamjwalker.com.