Danielle Fishel has to share bad news about her health.
The 43-year-old “Life and Me” actress announced that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer on Monday’s episode of “Pod Meets World,” the podcast she shares with her former co-stars Will Friedle and Rider Strong.
“I want to share something with our listeners, which is that Rider and Will were actually two of the first people I told the news to,” she began, then said, “I was recently diagnosed with DCIS, which stands for ductal carcinoma in situ, a form of breast cancer.”
The original ‘Boy Meets World’ actress from Topanga says she was fired because she wasn’t ‘pretty enough.’
Danielle Fishel announced that she is suffering from a form of breast cancer. (Paul Archuleta/Getty Images; ABC Photo Archive/Disney General Entertainment Content)
Fishel continued, “It’s still very, very, very early. Technically, it’s stage zero. Specifically, I’ve been diagnosed with high-grade DCIS with microinvasion. And I’m going to be OK. I’m going to have surgery to remove it. I’m going to have follow-up care. I’ve had to make a lot of decisions in the last few days.”
“With my busy schedule, 50 jobs, two kids, husband and house, it would be much easier to say, ‘I don’t have time for that. I had a mammogram last year, last year everything was fine, I don’t need to go again this year.'”
She said she always thought that if she ever got cancer, she would “suffer in silence,” only tell those close to her and wait until she beat the disease before speaking publicly. She said that this allowed her to share “the beautiful picture of everything,” but later she realized, “You learn the most at the beginning of a story or in the very messy middle of the story.”
WATCH: ‘BOY MEETS WORLD’ STAR DANIELLE FISHEL SHARES WHY SHE IS ‘SO GRATEFUL’ FOR HER TIME ON THE SHOW
Fishel said it wasn’t until she talked to close friends and family that she realized how many people are affected by cancer.
From left to right, Will Friedle, Danielle Fishel and Rider Strong pose for a photo during a game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Pittsburgh Pirates at Citizens Bank Park on September 27, 2023 in Philadelphia. (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
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“The only reason I discovered this cancer when it was still stage zero is because the day I got my text with the annual mammogram, I made the appointment,” she explained. “And the fact that I’m good at going to my doctor’s appointments, when honestly, with my busy schedule of 50 jobs, two kids, a husband and a house, it would be so much easier to say, ‘I don’t have time for that. I went for my mammogram last year, I was fine last year, I don’t need to go back this year.'”
“Instead, I thought, ‘Yes, it’s time. I have to make the appointment.’ And they found out so, so, so early that I was going to be OK.”
Danielle Fishel appeared in all seven seasons of “Life and Me.” (ABC Photo Library/Disney General Entertainment content via Getty Images)
From left to right: Danielle Fishel, Ben Savage, Rider Strong and Will Friedle in 1995 during filming of the second season of “Life and Me”. (ABC Photo Library/Disney General Entertainment content via Getty Images)
Fishel said she wanted to share her story with more people “because I hope it encourages everyone to go. When it’s time for your appointment and you’ve never had an appointment, go. If you need to find out you have cancer, find out at stage zero if possible.”
She reiterated that she would be “fine” but acknowledged that she had to make “some important decisions” regarding her treatment.
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“I don’t have all the answers yet,” she said. “I still have to see doctors, oncologists, radiation specialists, hormone therapists, all kinds of things that I still have to decide on.”
Representatives for Fishel did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Danielle Fishel still has to make “some big decisions” after her cancer diagnosis. (David Livingston/FilmMagic)
Friedle and Strong, who played Eric and Shawn alongside Fishel’s Topanga on “Life and Me,” expressed their support for her. She warned listeners that her podcast schedule might change because of her treatment, but they assured her that was “the last thing” she should be worried about.
They also suggested that in addition to breast exams, listeners should also stay informed about things like prostate exams and colonoscopies.
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Friedle told her, “You may have a few crappy days ahead of you, but we are here for you.”
