"I’ve been through such hell": Jill Martin opens up on cancer fight and how testing gave her a second chance

Television personality Jill Martin is opening up about her battle with cancer. In 2023, Martin was diagnosed with stage 2b breast cancer, and she had a BRCA2 mutation, which was later shown through a genetic test.

Speaking to People during the Pink Plaza event, she said:

"I've been through such hell for the past two years that the only way for me to move forward is to turn pain into purpose."

Jill Martin continued:

"And so to have a platform like the Today Show to be able to amplify genetic testing, to be able to use my platform to spread awareness about a test that saved my life? I wouldn't be sitting here today if not."

She admitted it wasn’t easy to say, but acknowledged that without taking that spit test, she might not have survived and how this test gave her another chance at life. In another statement, she said:

"I woke up today and thought, 'How grateful am I that I get to go to a place that supports a message that I feel like is higher than me and why I was given cancer?' That is my purpose."

Jill Martin encourages viewers to get genetically tested

While sharing her cancer journey with the audience, Jill Martin also encouraged viewers of The Today Show to get genetic testing, the same way she discovered her own BRCA2 mutation.

"If you're afraid, a lot of people who are here, friends and family, whom I'm so grateful for, who are afraid to get tested, I'm saying it and ringing the bell right now. Getting cancer, going through chemo and radiation and mastectomies and surgeries. You do not want to go through cancer. Get genetically tested."

She encouraged the viewers to gain the knowledge and take steps towards getting themselves tested. Martin also revealed that she had a clean mammogram and sonogram. Despite that, she took the gene test, which took her 30 seconds, which showed that "cancer was on the move."

Reporting on Jill Martin’s cancer journey, the Rogel Cancer Center shared a statement in which Martin opened up about her family’s history with breast cancer. She revealed that her grandmother had died of breast cancer and her mother was diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ, after which she underwent a double mastectomy.

Jill Martin mentioned that her mother underwent genetic screening and tested negative for the BRCA mutation. After learning she carried the BRCA2 mutation, Martin revealed that she faced a high risk of developing breast cancer, and her doctors recommended preventive surgery. As of 2025, Jill is cancer-free.

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