Shanice Wilson's Powerful Testimony Of Healing, Faith, And Family After Double Mastectomy

"God is a healer," she starts her caption before eventually revealing, "I had a stage one one centimeter tumor in my breast.. Thank God I found it early." She continues, writing, "I wasn’t ready to talk about it then but I’m strong enough to talk about it now.. Please everyone get checked."

"This is the hardest thing I've ever had to face in my life," she could be heard saying in a video clip she shared of her moments before her surgery. "But I know God is with me and everything is going to go well."

In another clip, the 51-year-old admitted that she was avoiding some of the preventive measures for breast cancer, like mammograms and ultrasounds regularly because she was "afraid." However, she "felt something" in her breasts one day and went to the doctor. After having a mammogram done, they discovered that she had DCIS in her milk ducts.

DCIS, ductal carcinoma in situ, is a non-invasive form of breast cancer that starts in the milk ducts. In these instances, some of the cells of the lining of these milk ducts have become cancerous cells. The cancerous cells could develop into invasive breast cancer if it isn't treated. As an early form of breast cancer, it can typically be treated and cured with early detection, like mammograms.

According to an article by the National Institutes of Health, though a mastectomy is considered to be the most invasive surgical treatment for patients with DCIS, "it remains the gold standard for long-term locoregional control." This means a reduced rate of DCIS recurrence.

In her own journey, Shanice shared in one of her video clips that when she found out a mastectomy was her treatment plan for the DCIS in her left breast, "she couldn't understand why" the whole breast needed to be removed, especially if the cancer was in stage 0.

After getting a second opinion, she took the doctor's advice to move forward with the surgery and elected to remove both breasts in a double mastectomy. "Since you're going to remove one, you might as well remove both because I want them both to be the same, and I don't want anything popping up later in the other breast," she said in her video.

Shanice also revealed that after they removed her breasts, they retested the ducts and learned that the cancer was actually in stage 1.

Healing is a community effort and Shanice made it clear that she could not have made it through her recovery without her faith and the help of the people around her. In addition to God, she thanked her herbalist, her doctor, her "prayer warriors," family, and friends for their support.

She also thanked her husband of 24 years, actor Flex Alexander, writing, "Thank you @flexaforeal for helping me get through the hardest time of my life.. You helped me every day with my drains and cooked all my meals.. I love you.."

Stay on top of your breast health through regular self-exams, eating well, staying active, knowing your family history through genetic testing, managing stress, quitting smoking, and if you're over 40, scheduling your routine mammograms.

"I am healed and restored in Jesus name," she adds in her caption. Amen.

Let’s make things inbox official! Sign up for the xoNecole newsletter for love, wellness, career, and exclusive content delivered straight to your inbox.