Martina Navratilova: I Have Breast Cancer
Martina Navratilova, legendary tennis player and one of the greatest female athletes of her generation, says she has breast cancer.
Navratilova, 53, in an interview with People magazine, says doctors detected the cancer early and the prognosis is excellent.
The nine-time Wimbledon champion said she cried upon first hearing the news.
"It knocked me on my ass, really. I feel so in control of my life and my body, and then this comes, and it's completely out of my hands," she told People.
The form of breast cancer Navratilova has is DCIS, which affects the milk ducts and has not spread to the breast tissue, Dr. Mindy Nagle said.
Navratilova, who still plays tennis and competes in triathlons, and serves as a fitness ambassador for AARP, told the magazine she is lucky the cancer was caught so early since she had not scheduled a mammogram in four years.
"I let it slide. Everyone gets busy, but don't make excuses. I stay in shape and eat right, and it happened to me," she said. "Another year and I could have been in big trouble."