HOUSTON – Tina Knowles, Beyoncé’s mother, shared an urgent message with women everywhere after revealing her own battle with breast cancer.
SEE ALSO: Why annual mammograms and breast health education is important to women of all ages
In an interview with PEOPLE magazine, Knowles, 71, opened up about how she was blindsided last July when she discovered stage 1 breast cancer after missing her previously scheduled mammogram.
Knowles also goes into more detail about the diagnosis in her newly released memoir, Matriarch.
“I struggled with whether I would share that journey [in the book] because I’m very private. But I decided to share it because I think it’s a lot of lessons in it for other women,” she told PEOPLE. “And 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. Because if I had not gotten my test early, I mean, I shudder to think what could have happened to me.”
Fortunately, the cancerous tumor was removed late last year, and proud to say she is “doing great,” telling the outlet she’s “cancer-free and incredibly blessed that God allowed me to find it early.”