‘Today’ Show’s Jill Martin Diagnosed with Breast Cancer After Learning She Has BRCA Gene

“Today” show contributor Jill Martin, 47, was “in shock” to learn she had breast cancer just days after testing positive for the BRCA gene.

Martin told People magazine, "I am in shock, but at the same time I'm so grateful because it could be a very different story that we're talking about. Of course I'm devastated. You hear the C-word and you think the worst. But after you hear the word and you absorb it, you then have to be your own best friend. And also having the platform to share my story has given me strength, because I feel like while I'm healing, I will be able to help literally save lives. And if I save one life from this, then this process will have been worth it for me."

She was caught off guard because she said, "I had a mammogram in January and it was perfect!"

Over the past few years, Jill was suffering from non-cancerous uterine growths called fibroids and had them surgically removed. Afterward, her doctor recommended genetic testing, and that’s how she learned she had the BRCA gene, which is linked to developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer.

"I spit into this tube and I mailed it in and honestly I forgot about it, and three weeks later I got a call saying, 'You tested positive.'"

She decided her next step would be a preventative bilateral mastectomy. "I said to my husband, 'This isn't going to be the summer we thought it was going to be, but thank goodness that we caught it.' I actually felt lucky."

Days later, while undergoing a preoperative MRI, she found out she already had breast cancer.

"I went in and I remember she said it's cancer and I remember saying, 'Is it treatable?' And she said, 'Yes, yes, you're going to be okay,'" Martin shared. "I'm not telling you I don't break down and cry at some points, but I still felt — still feel lucky."

She’s moving forward with the bilateral mastectomy and other treatments. She told People, "I really would rather not have to have chemotherapy, but if that's something I have to deal with, I'll deal with it," Martin says. "The scary part of this is the unknown. It's going into a surgery and not knowing if you're going to come out needing chemotherapy or radiation treatment — that is probably the scariest part to me. I work better when I know there's a project, when I know there's a task to be completed."

Jill will also undergo a hysterectomy in October, and said she will receive “the second half of the reconstruction” at that time.

"I guess I'm allowed to be all different things at the same time, they're not exclusive of each other," Martin said. "I'm allowed to be sad and scared and mad and angry and also grateful and lucky and proactive. You're allowed to be all those things together."

"You have two choices in any situation. It's either I could lay under the covers and cry, and believe me, I wake up in the morning sometimes and remember what's going on and feel that way. But honestly, having platforms like the ‘Today’ show and People and being able to scream this from the rooftops gives me peace. My focus is making sure my family's okay, making sure I have all my ducks in a row, which I do, and telling people: 'Go get tested.'"