New Castle Resident, Food Network Star Sandra Lee Announces Breast Cancer Diagnosis

Sandra Lee, chef and Food Network celebrity, will undergo breast cancer surgery soon.

The Chappaqua resident made the announcement this morning on Good Morning America, saying she hoped by going public with her story to encourage other women to get frequent mammograms.

Her significant other, New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, also made an announcement about her diagnosis this morning.

Here’s the full text of Cuomo’s statement:

A few weeks ago we received terrible news. Sandy shared with me that she was diagnosed with breast cancer. I was devastated. After the news what followed was a blizzard of doctors visits, tests and discussions of treatment options. Sandy is young for her diagnosis, she has no family history, she is healthy and had no symptoms or signals that she was in danger. She has been diligent about going for check-ups and thankfully this was detected in the early stages.

A situation like this quickly puts life in the proper perspective and reminds one of what’s truly important. To that end, I expect to take some personal time because I want to be with Sandy to support her in any way I can as she handles the trauma of her operation and the pain of the recovery.

For those of you familiar with Sandy’s life story it will not surprise you that she has met this latest challenge with determination, resolve and grace. She never ceases to amaze me. While she has kept her illness private until now, Sandy has bravely decided to speak openly about her illness in order to remind women of the potentially lifesaving power of early detection. I fully support her decision.

With heartfelt gratitude for your kind wishes and support, Sandy and I hope and pray to bring you good news of her strong recovery soon.

See the Good Morning America segment here.

PHOTO: Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and Sandra Lee vote in the Democratic primary 2014 at the Presbyterian Church of Mount Kisco./Gov. Cuomo’s Office/Flickr Creative Commons