Martina Navratilova diagnosed with breast cancer
The tennis legend discovered she had the disease in February. She admits initially feeling terrified, but is now confident she will beat it.
"I cried, I was shocked, I was devastated. Physically I could not think or move, I was useless." Martina told People magazine. "It knocked me on my a*s, really. I feel so in control of my life and my body, and then this comes, and it`s completely out of my hands. The emotions took so much physical strength out of me, I didn`t realise how much impact physically this has on you."
The 53-year-old found out about the cancer after a mammogram detected a problem in her left breast.
Martina has ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) which is a non-invasive form of the cancer. It was found in her milk ducts, and had not spread.
"It was the best-case scenario you could imagine for detecting breast cancer," said Martina`s friend Dr. Mindy Nagle.
Martina is due to start a sex week radiation therapy course next month, and has had a lumpectomy.
"I went four years between mammograms," she told the publication. "I let it slide. Everyone gets busy, but don`t make excuses. I stay in shape and eat right, and it happened to me. Another year and I could have been in big trouble."
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