NEWSJudy Blume: I Have Breast Cancer
Sept. 5 2012, Published 4:44 a.m. ET
Popular author Judy Blume has revealed she has been diagnosed with breast cancer.
The 74-year-old penned perennial-favorite young adult novels like Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret; Forever; and Blubber, which have been read by generations of teens.
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Judy blogged about the news on her website Wednesday, sharing how she found out she had the disease.
"We were supposed to leave for five weeks in Italy on July 29 – four of those weeks would be spent at an artists' colony housed in a castle in Umbria where I was hoping to finish my new book. A castle! Sound too good to be true? Uh huh," she wrote in her inimitable style.
"A visit to the radiologist on June 12 for a routine ultrasound (dense breast tissue) led to a core biopsy."
Judy says she was shocked by the diagnosis because "there's no breast cancer in my family.
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"I haven't eaten red meat in more than 30 years. I've never smoked, I exercise every day, forget alcohol — it's bad for my reflux — I've been the same weight my whole adult life. How is this possible? Well, guess what — it's possible."
Judy also revealed that she underwent a mastectomy six weeks after her diagnosis, saying the "surgery went well, one night in the hospital, very little pain."
The writer also disclosed that she had a hysterectomy 17 years ago after suffering from cervical cancer, which was caught "just in time."
She added that she got through her ordeal with the support of her friends who had also survived cancer and she felt she "got off easy" because she didn't need chemo.
Judy has sold over 80 million books worldwide, which have been translated into over 30 languages.
