When was Brett Favre’s wife Deanna Favre diagnosed with cancer? Health struggles explored following documentary release

Deanna Favre and her husband, former NFL player Brett Favre, have made headlines before as Deanna has been open about the struggles in their relationship, Favre's addiction, his scandal, and her battle with cancer. Amidst the release of the new documentary, Untold: The Fall of Favre, which focuses mainly on Favre's 2010 s**ting scandal, they are making headlines again.

Deanna Favre, 56, is the wife of former American football player Brett Favre, 55, and an American author. According to Men's Journal, Deanna Favre has previously detailed her struggles in a 2007 Guidepost Magazine article, especially about her breast cancer journey after being diagnosed in 2004.

According to the article, the beginning of October 2004 was tough for her as she had to go through very tough situations, including losing her brother in an ATV accident and the unexpected breast cancer diagnosis. She further recalls in the article that:

"I’d never seen Brett so shaken up. He was pale and in shock. We hugged for a long time...I told our two daughters, Brittany, 15, and five-year-old Breleigh. “I’ll be okay,” I reassured them."

Brett Favre is a former NFL quarterback. He met his wife, Deanna, when they were 14 years old. According to People Magazine, Deanna was a star basketball player in high school and even received a basketball scholarship for college, but it was cut short after she got pregnant at 19. They have two daughters: Brittany and Breleigh. In 2024, it was revealed Brett Favre was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

More about Deanna Favre's cancer journey

In 2004, Deanne Favre was diagnosed with breast cancer. In a Guidepost Magazine article, she shared that her cancer was at stage II, and the recommended treatment was lumpectomy and chemotherapy.

Favre shared in the outlet's October 2007 issue that:

"The surgical team was confident, but they insisted on four rounds of chemo and six weeks of radiation. How bad could that be? I wondered. The first round of chemo was right before Thanksgiving. I’d never felt so sick in my life. It was like the worst flu you can imagine."

Deanna also talked about how painful it was to lose hair, leading her to shave her head because she did not want bald patches. In a sweet gesture, her daughters, Brittany and Breleigh, also cut their hair to show support. Meanwhile, Brett followed by shaving his hair.

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Deanna shared that the encouraging letters she received after Brett went public with the news of her cancer, as well as her faith, gave her the strength during difficult times. According to Archbalt.org, she spent four months receiving treatment and was declared cancer-free the following year.

After she recovered, she went on to spread awareness of cancer and advocate for cancer patients. According to People Magazine, she started the Deanna Favre Hope Foundation to raise money and awareness for breast cancer patients. Deanna's memoir, Don’t Bet Against Me, also deals with her cancer journey.

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