Jenna Wolfe is giving an update on her recovery after undergoing a hysterectomy and mastectomy within the last month.
The former NBC anchor, 49, who shared last month that she would get both procedures done after testing positive for the BRCA-1 breast cancer gene, posted an update on her Instagram on Friday along with a selfie smiling in a white button-down top while she sat at the couch.
"I have to keep reminding myself that this is the process… slow progress, painful at times, encouraging at others, sometimes ugly, sometimes messy, always worth it if it means I'll be around for a long time," she captioned the post.
Wolfe noted that while she's in the recovery process, she is wearing "lots of button-down shirts" and "comfy cargo pants" and is doing a lot of "arm circles and stretching."
"On the bright side, glass half full, silver lining… I finally finished Succession (well, I'm all caught up)," she said. "I read 2 books, finished a crossword puzzle in under 35 minutes, learned all about the debt ceiling, and can now arrange multiple play dates for my kids with multiple transportation legs on multiple days (always tricky when I can't drive yet)."
"I'm getting there," she added. "Thank you for everyone's well wishes and encouraging words. X."
The former Today show correspondent opened up about her hysterectomy — an operation "that removes the uterus" through a cut in the abdomen — last month in an Instagram post showing photos of her in the hospital for the procedure.
"About a month ago, I tested positive for the BRCA-1 breast cancer gene (meaning my chances of getting breast and ovarian cancer are… well… really high), leaving me little wiggle room to 'mull over my choices,' " she shared. "So without a ton of options, I stared down my fears, took a deep breath and opted for two pretty big surgeries."
"My hysterectomy is the first. It's not fun, not easy, not at all pleasant (I'm terrified of needles) but it's something I need to do," wrote Wolfe. "The second surgery, the bigger one, will be in 2 weeks. Happy to share more with anyone going through something similar."
In a post shared on April 11, she then shared a photo resting at the hospital in a hospital gown to Instagram, revealing that she completed her "second surgery," a mastectomy, which is an operation to remove breast tissue.
"All that's left now is recovery and healing… The most important part. The hardest part," wrote Wolfe.
According to the National Cancer Institute, BCRA1 and BCRA2 are genes that produce proteins that help repair damaged DNA. When someone inherits harmful variants of one of the two genes, they developed an increased risk of several types of cancers, that include breast and ovarian cancer.
The institute explains on its website that "people who have inherited a harmful variant in BRCA1 and BRCA2 also tend to develop cancer at younger ages than people who do not have such a variant. "
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