"[It's] about to happen..."
Tina Knowles is opening up about the importance of routine mammograms.
In an interview with People, published April 22, the 71-year-old fashion designer — and mother of singers Beyoncé, 43, and Solange, 38 — revealed that she was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer in July.
As she explains to People, the diagnosis would’ve come sooner had she not delayed her mammogram.
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"I forgot that I didn't go to get my test two years before I thought I had," Knowles told the outlet. “Covid came and they called me and canceled me and they said, we'll call you when we start testing again.”
According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), women above the age of 55 should get a mammogram every other year — if not annually — to ensure the cancer is diagnosed in its earliest stages.
Knowles finally rescheduled her mammogram last year. During the appointment, doctors discovered two tumors — one of which was benign. The other malignant.
In an interview with CBS News, also published April 22, Knowles recalled doctors telling her that her cancer would’ve been stage 0 had she maintained her routine appointment.
Since she waited, the cancer progressed.
"I've always tried to take care of myself. I just … was in disbelief," she told CBS News’ Gayle King.
According to the ACS, stage 0 means the cancer is confined to the original location while stage 1 indicates an invasive form of cancer that has spread into normal breast tissue.
At the time of her diagnosis, Knowles’ breast cancer had not yet started to spread and was deemed slow-growing. She underwent a lumpectomy late last year to remove the tumor from her left breast.
“I’m doing great,” she told People. “Cancer-free and incredibly blessed that God allowed me to find it early."
Knowles praises her daughters for their relentless support
Knowles’ cancer diagnosis came as the mother-of-two was writing her new memoir titled, “Matriarch.”
While she initially wasn’t sure if she would write about the diagnosis in the book, she ultimately decided to use her cancer journey as a lesson — and warning — to women everywhere.
“I think as women, sometimes we get so busy and we get so wrapped up and running around, but you must go get your test,” she said in her interview with People.
“Because if I had not gotten my test early, I mean, I shudder to think what could have happened to me,” she added.
In the book, released April 22, Knowles praised her daughters, Beyoncé and Solange — as well as bonus daughter Kelly Rowland and her niece Angie Beyincé — for being by her side every step of the way.
“My girls became my team,” she wrote, per People.
Knowles continued her praise in her interview with CBS News, where she recalled a moment when she was comforted by her “team” while in the hospital.
"I was nervous," Knowles told King. "And so they started just joking with me."
That’s when Solange showed her mother a viral “demure” video to help relieve some of the stress.
"I start laughing. I get out of my head. ... Then I said, 'I'm just so happy that y'all are here.' And I thought about the song 'Walk With Me,' which they used to sing all the time," she continued.
And it’s that very song that Solange and Beyincé sang to Knowles before her surgery.
"It's about God walking with you into something and protecting you," Knowles said to CBS News. "And I went in there feeling just like God has got me."
As for her advice to other women, Knowles kept her recommendation short and sweet.
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"It's important not to slack on your mammograms," she urged. “You cannot play around with that."
