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Valerie Woods, Former Speaker of the House
"To be honest, it's been good, all things considered. So I have stage three, it's invasive lobular carcinoma. I'm told that it is the one that is not as common as the other type of breast cancer, which is the Ducto. I think that's the one that most breast cancers in terms of statistics, this is about maybe 10 to 15 or 15 to 20% tend to be this type. But it's stage three, I feel good, I work, I exercise. I have to think that it's because we're in 2025, treatments obviously have advanced."

"But it's also important as I'm going through this to pay attention to a lot of what other cancer survivors have advised and positive outlook. I believe both of you always say it on the show for your mental health. It's so important, not just with cancer, but with anything to maintain a positive outlook, positive attitude, this too shall pass. And to try and maintain as normal as you can your routine. So I exercise, I work, I function and I take my breaks when I need to take my breaks. And so it's good with all of that considered."

Host
"Did you experience symptoms before you took the test or were you just going for a regular checkup and then it showed up?"

Valerie Woods, Former Speaker of the House
"I'm glad you asked that because I think what I have learned, so one of the first things I did when I got my biopsy results was I met with Dr. Yacab, who is an absolute gem. And I was so comforting in order to help me manage expectations. So there are four main types of cancers and then there's subtypes. one that I have, the lobular, they like to refer to it as sneaky because it can mimic other things."

"It can mimic the fatty tissue and so it's not so easily picked up with a mammogram and an ultrasound and I've been very good with annual checks. So this was caught what they refer to as interval in between one year and the next year of the check."

"It's not a lump. You don't feel a lump with this. It's really if you can consider it like a sheet and so it's more of a swelling or inflammation, hardness, but it's not a lump that you feel and I went in just because well you know your body and I thought well this is odd you know and it doesn't seem this sheet doesn't seem to be going down and so one thing left led to the next and in order to definitively determine what it was you have to take a breast MRI and Belize doesn't have that. And so I got that done elsewhere and that definitively confirmed it."

You can catch her entire interview when the Sunup episode repeats at 8:00 pm tonight.