“I’m losing my memory” - Katie Thurston details health struggles amid ongoing cancer treatment

Reality TV star, Katie Thurston was one of the breakout fan favorites on season 17 of The Bachelorette. The TV personality, confirmed earlier this year that she had been diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. Doctors initially told her she had invasive ductal carcinoma, a common form of the disease.

However, Katie Thurston's diagnosis worsened with time, further scans showed that the cancer had reached her liver. Her battle with the serious disease began at stage 3 of the cancer but it has advanced quickly. Recently Katie Thurston shared an honest and unfiltered health update with her followers on Instagram.

“I wanted to do weekly check-ins that are just like uncut, raw emotions of whatever comes to my mind. I just finished my second month of treatment and if you’re asking how long treatment is, technically forever,” she shared.

She also spoke about the toll the treatment had taken on her.

“But right now, after finishing two months of my medication, my hair is coming out in an unnatural amount of clumps. Working on that. I’m losing my memory. That’s great. Going through customs and them being like, ‘Where are you coming from?’ And I looked at him and I was like, ‘I don’t remember. I don’t remember." she added.

Katie Thurston gets real about cancer battle:

Katie Thurston, also referenced a recent moment with her husband, comedian Jeff Arcuri:

“I was like, ‘This has happened before.’ He was like, ‘When?’ I was like, ‘I don’t know but I know it has!, we’re able to laugh about it now. But yeah, cancer is s**t.” she shared.

Her treatment plan has entered a more complex phase. The plan now involves decisions about how to address the liver treatment. She shared the available options like pursuing histotripsy, radiation or ablation.

“Anyway, it’s National Cancer Survivors Day. Every day that I’m alive, I’m a survivor,” she said.

In her raw update, Thurston added:

“Not ideal. But the vacation was nice. Now I’m back at it again in New York City trying to live my best life as a f**king cancer patient. Sorry I’m not going to edit that out… I want it just to be my truth, I guess. Anyway, happy Sunday.”

Katie Thurston details how she found her cancer:

Katie Thurston hadn't expected that a seemingly minor discomfort would become a life changing discovery. But in February 2025, the former Bachelorette star confirmed she had been diagnosed with breast cancer at age 34.

“I had a small lump in my breast around the 10’oclock [sic] spot, I discovered it myself. Thought maybe it was my period [or] maybe it was muscle soreness from working out. But, eventually, this lump never went away,” Thurston told her Instagram followers.

After noticing the lump wouldn’t subside, she went in for a mammogram. The scan revealed cancerous tissue, prompting her medical team to perform a biopsy to learn more.

By late February, she delivered a critical update: “Good news! My cancer hasn’t metastasize[d],” she wrote on February 21. The malignancy, she explained, was confined to her lymph nodes. She also outlined the next steps:

“Two more appointments left in LA before officially moving to NYC [on] March 1st. The anticipated order of things is fertility (egg/embryo freezing), chemo, then surgery.”

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Just ahead of her treatment journey, Thurston moved to New York City with her husband, Jeff Arcuri, a comedian she got engaged to in late 2024 and married in March 2025.

“I’m so thankful for my family, friends, and community here for helping me make it to my current stage [sic] of mind, Today I feel calm, less scared, and ready.” she wrote in her closing.

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