Real Housewives of Atlanta star and mum-of-two Monyetta Shaw-Carter announces breast cancer diagnosis
A reality TV star has revealed she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had radiation therapy and a lumpectomy.
Real Housewives of Atlanta star and mum-of-two Monyetta Shaw-Carter was diagnosed with breast cancer around seven months ago.
The reality star and former radio personality, who has just celebrated her 45th birthday told People that she discovered a symptom when she was performing a self-check last September. “I felt this random sensation that I can’t really describe in my left boob. It was like nothing I’ve ever felt before. It was literally like my body was alerting me that something was wrong,” she said.
One month later, at her routine mammogram, doctors found a lump. Then, in November, she was diagnosed with "slow-growing" stage 1 invasive ductal carcinoma. In January, she had a lumpectomy and 16 rounds of radiation - and then a month ago, on May 2, she rang the bell to mark the end of her treatment. She is now cancer-free.
Explaining her reason for sharing her health scare, she said she wanted to urge others to be aware of symptoms and then something doesn’t feel right in their body and get themselves checked. “Because I caught the cancer early, I will be here for my kids. There’s nothing more important than getting checked often and early to protect your future.
“It’s so important for me to share this story because I hope to inspire others not to dismiss their gut feeling. Our body speaks to us and when it does we have to listen. It can be a matter of life or death.” She added: “Our health is irreplaceable. I can’t thank my exceptional doctors and nurses enough. They are our heroes.”
Monyetta spoke candidly about getting the diagnosis from her doctor over the phone, and became emotional while she spoke about it. She said: “It was obviously one of the hardest and scariest moments of my life. Everything around me stopped. My heart dropped. I was afraid. I was angry. I was just numb.”
Along with her doctors, she then decided on a treatment plan. "While doing all of the biopsies and MRIs I was first considering having a double mastectomy. But after my genetic testing came back favorable, and after sitting in my reality for some time, I decided on the lumpectomy,” she said.
To raise cancer awareness, Monyetta celebrated her 45th birthday on Saturday (May 31), by throwing a party and asked all guests are to wear pink as this is the colour associated with breast cancer awareness.
Monyetta shares two children; daughter Madilyn “Maddie”, 14, and son, Mason, 13, with ex-fiancé, singer NE-YO. The pair began dating in 2009 but they split in 2013, just two months before their wedding. She has been married to husband Heath Carter since 2021 and she is also stepmum to his two children, Gigi and Brianna.