PHOENIX — For more than 30 years, Terri Ouellette has charmed Arizona audiences with her bright smile and infectious energy on our TVs and in our homes. But for the last 12 months, the ABC15's Sonoran Living host has quietly battled breast cancer.
"I've kept this very private for well, the entire year that I've been going through this," Ouellette said.
Her message is clear and hopeful.
"My message is not that, 'oh my gosh, you guys, I had breast cancer.' Oh no, no. It's, 'oh my gosh, I had breast cancer, and I caught it early because I had a mammogram,'" she explains.
CHECK UP AZ: Local mammography resources, information
That mammogram came last October. The diagnosis was stage one breast cancer.
"I'm blessed, grateful that I caught it early, because it could have been much, much worse," Ouellette said.
The news initially left her numb. Then came the daunting task of telling her family, including her husband of 41 years, her two adult sons, and, most difficult of all, her 99-year-old mother.
"I knew that this was going to be very, very hard on her, because I'm her baby, and we're very, very close, and I take care of her as much as I can... I knew it was going to devastate her," Ouellette remembers, adding she even considered not telling her mom, an idea she quickly discarded.
"It's hard to keep things from your mom, because moms know."
In consultation with her medical team, she chose to have a lumpectomy followed by 33 rounds of radiation. Through it all, she tried to keep the rest of her life as normal as possible, including continuing to work on Sonoran Living.
She says she's still processing what she's been through and what may still be ahead.
The journey continues for her, even as others might consider her a survivor.
"It's like, 'oh, you're a breast cancer survivor,' but I don't know if I am. I don't know if it's over," Terri said.
After keeping her battle private for a year, she's sharing her story now in the hopes of helping other women and potentially saving lives. Ouellette says for her, that's what healing looks like, and it's what makes her happy.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
