Tina Knowles revealed her battle with breast cancer in her memoir “Matriarch: A Memoir,” released April 22.
Now, she’s urging women to get their mammograms.
In her book, Knowles writes that she discovered the cancer during a mammogram appointment — one she had delayed for years.
“I struggled with whether I would share that journey (in her book) because I’m very private. But I decided to share it because I think it’s a lot of lessons in it for other women,” Knowles told People. “And I think as women, sometimes we get so busy and we get so wrapped up and running around, but you must go get your test. Because if I had not gotten my test early, I mean, I shudder to think what could have happened to me.”
God and the women in Knowles’ life carried her through the battle
In her book, Knowles writes that she hesitated to tell her daughter, Beyoncé, about the diagnosis. Once she shared the news, Beyoncé responded calmly and told her mother they’d find the best specialist.
Knowles wrote that within days, she met with a hospital surgeon and oncologist, though the appointments left her “depressed and confused.” She urges readers to seek a second opinion and not settle for the first option given.
It was the second opinion, a private surgeon, who finally gave her the hope she needed.
“I made my decision: I wasn’t going with the hospital surgeon who talked down to me, I went with the private surgeon, the woman who gave me options and hope. She recommended a different oncologist at the hospital, one who she thought would be a better fit for me,” she wrote.
Before her surgery, Knowles was surrounded by loved ones including: Beyoncé, Solange and a circle of close friends, according to CBS.
Knowles shared she was nervous and the girls attempted to lighten the mood by playing trending videos about being “demure.”
“I start laughing. I get out of my head. ... Then I said, ‘I’m just so happy that y’all are here.’ And I thought about the song ‘Walk With Me,’ which they used to sing all the time,” she told CBS.
Just before surgery, Solange, Knowles’ daughter, and Angie Beyincé, Knowles’ niece, sang “Walk With Me” to her.
“It’s about God walking with you into something and protecting you,” Knowles told CBS. “And I went in there feeling just like God has got me.”
Knowles offers hope to other women diagnosed with breast cancer
A few months after her diagnosis, Knowles attended Glamour’s 2024 Women of the Year event. She spoke of the resilience and strength her daughters have given her.
“That’s why when I said, you know, with them, I could get through anything, nobody knew what I was talking about,” she told CBS.
“I want to give people hope,” Knowles said, reported by People. “What scares me now is not making the best of every day that I have left in this life.”