Comedian-actress Wanda Sykes filmed a revealing interview, of a decidedly personal nature, that will air Monday on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
The mother of two-year-old twins with her wife, Alex, told Ellen DeGeneres that earlier this year she learned she had breast cancer, and opted to have a double mastectomy.
The 47-year-old was told she had cancer after undergoing a breast reduction procedure. A pathology report on the removed tissue indicated that she had DCIS, ductal carcinoma in her left breast.
She likened the diagnosis to having stage-zero cancer, a fact that she considered a “very lucky” break. With a history of breast cancer on her mother’s side of the family, she decided to have all of her remaining breast tissue removed in order to be done with it.
The funny woman joked about her reasons for taking drastic measures rather than submitting to three month checks, “I’m not good at keeping on top of stuff. I’m sure I’m overdue for an oil change and a teeth cleaning already.”
Another tough decision was whether she should talk about her ordeal. She told Ellen, “I was like, I don’t know, should I talk about it or what? How many things can I have? I’m Black, then Lesbian. I can’t be the poster child for everything.”
She went on to say, “At least with the LGBT issues we get a parade, a float, it’s a party. But I was real hesitant about doing this, because I hate walking. I got a lot of cancer walks coming up.”
DeGeneres responded, “I just admire the hell out of you.”
Check out the video clip below:
Photo: Video Screen Grab