“Dance Moms” alum, Kelly Hyland, revealed she was diagnosed with breast cancer after finding a lump in her breast in March.
“The first red flag was my significant weight loss,” the reality TV star told E! News. “I lost enough that others noticed and would ask for my dieting hacks, but there was nothing I had changed in my day-to-day to cause the loss.” She then found a lump in her breast and immediately sought medical advice. “I booked myself a mammogram,” the 53-year-old said. “I had just had one done eight months prior and the results came back clean. However, this new mammogram and sonogram did not, it came back showing a mass,” she told E! News.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 25: (L-R) Paige Hyland, Kelly Hyland and Brooke Hyland attend “Dance Moms: The Reunion” New York Premiere on April 25, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)
The “Dance Moms” star explained her worst fears were confirmed when she was told “it was malignant.” Subsequent testing revealed her official diagnosis was carcinoma stage 1, grade 3, which means she was suffering from a very fast-moving cancer, according to E! News.
“I went from clean results to a malignant mass in eight months,” she said. “I was shocked that it had grown that quickly and scared of the battle I knew I was about to face.”
Hyland knew she had to inform her children.
“I did a four-way call with all of my kids because I wanted to tell them at the same time and make sure they were all given the same information,” she said.
Her son Josh admitted he was “speechless and scared” upon hearing the news.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – APRIL 25: (L-R) Brooke Hyland, Paige Hyland, Chloé Lukasiak, JoJo Siwa, Kalani Hilliker and Kendall Vertes attend “Dance Moms: The Reunion” Premiere Event & Red Carpet at Moxy Hotel on April 25, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Bonnie Biess/Getty Images for Lifetime)
“I feel very hopeful that it is only at stage one, I feel like she caught it quickly,” he said. “I know my mom is strong enough to get through this.”
Hyland revealed her diagnosis to her former costars and is trying to keep her life “as normal as possible” by continuing to tape her “Dear Dance Mom…” podcast with Maddie Ziegler and Kenzie Ziegler’s mom Melissa Gisoni, Nia Sioux’s mom Holly Frazier and Kendall Vertes’ mom Jill Vertes, as well as her “Back to the Barre” podcast.
“The toughest part for me has been accepting help from the people around me,” Hyland said. “I am a very independent person and, as a mom, I’m used to being the one taking care of people, not the one being taken care of,” she told E! News.
“I hate feeling like I am inconveniencing anyone or being a burden in any way,” she said. “However, I am quickly learning I am on a very long and tough road, so I am going to need to learn to accept people’s help because I am very lucky to have people that want to take care of me during this time.” (RELATED: ‘Nothing Could Prepare Me’: Olivia Munn Opens Up About Undergoing Four Surgeries In 10 Months)
Hyland is on her second round of six chemotherapy treatments and will require surgery and radiation, followed by 11 more treatments.
“I have a long journey ahead,” she said.
