Beloved author Judy Blume was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2012 after a routine ultrasound due to dense breast tissue, and her doctor recommended a biopsy, according to a since-archived blog post, per CBS News. The author was planning a five-week trip to Italy and wasn't exactly eager to get the procedure done, but her doctors urged her to push back the trip. The biopsy came back a few days later, and she was diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma.
Blume grappled with her diagnoses, saying, "I haven't eaten red meat in more than 30 years. I've never smoked, I exercise every day, forget alcohol – it's bad for my reflux – I've been the same weight my whole adult life. How is this possible? Well, guess what – it's possible."
The "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret." author eventually underwent a mastectomy and offered words of wisdom to others in the same situation. "My friends who've had breast cancer have been so helpful and supportive I can never thank them enough," she wrote in the blog post. "They got me through this. They were my inspiration. If we can do it, you can do it! They were right. And I got off easy. I don't need chemo which is a whole other ballgame."
