The reality alum also said she is looking for a therapist and believes it’s possible to manage stage 4 cancer as a “chronic illness”
Credit: Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Katie Thurston is managing stage 4 breast cancer and underwent a double mastectomy in April
- She shared on her Instagram Stories on Monday, July 6, that she is in her second month of antidepressants and searching for a therapist to support her mental health
- Thurston remains hopeful about managing cancer as a chronic illness and awaits PET scan results for updates
Katie Thurston is giving an update on her mental health journey as she navigates stage 4 breast cancer.
The Bachelorette alum, 35, who first announced her breast cancer diagnosis in February 2025, explained in a post to her Instagram Stories that “a cancer diagnosis flips your world upside down. I like to say ‘I’m learning to dance with my ghosts,’ “ she shared in response to a fan who asked how she was feeling, “not just physically.”
Thurston elaborated further, sharing that she’s “on month 2 of Wellbutrin,” which is the brand name for the antidepressant bupropion. “Next on the list, a therapist that I like.”
Credit: Katie Thurston/Instagram
It’s part of “having a mental health glow up this summer,” Thurston wrote.
The reality TV alum — who has a cameo at the end of husband Jeff Arcuri‘s new Netflix comedy special, Nice To Meet You, where she delivers a wickedly funny, off-the-cuff comment — also shared her perspective on her stage 4 diagnosis and her double mastectomy, which she underwent in April.
“It is impossible to completely remove cancer via DMX [double mastectomy] as someone who is stage4,” she wrote. “In fact, they say stage4 is forever.”
“But curative intent exists. Managing stage4 as a ‘chronic illness’ longterm is possible. And I believe in the future of medicine. So while I wait for my PET scan results, my hope is that there isn’t new spread,” Thurston, who shared that the Fourth of July holiday “delayed results … which sucks because normally it’s a quick 24 hours.”
Credit: Katie Thurston/Instagram
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She previously shared that, while she had “no evidence of disease” in recent scans, her liver enzymes were elevated, which concerned her doctors and, as she wrote in her Boobie Broadcast channel, may require her to have a biopsy.
Still, Thurston remained positive, writing, “If I’m lucky to get the ‘no evidence of disease’ on a scan, then it’s a really good day.”
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