On September 8, Grammy-nominated R'n'B singer Shanice, known for her singles like "The I Love Your Smile" or "Silent Prayer", shared that she was diagnosed with cancer. According to her, doctors had found a cyst in one of her breasts eight years ago, but the fear of undergoing a mammogram made her skip any checkups until 2024.
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Doctors suspected she had a tumor when they discovered the cyst on her breasts eight years ago. However, the sheer fear of finding out that she had cancer made Shanice skip any mammograms during those eight years. Finally, she underwent a double mastectomy, where doctors found a 1cm tumor.
"If I would have gone sooner, I could have caught it at stage zero," Shanice said in Good Morning America on October 30. "Put that fear aside. If you get checked early, you can beat this thing. It's not a death sentence. If you can get there early, you'll live."
She had found a lump in her breast in March which led her to schedule a doctor's appointment. According to the Daily Mail, doctors thought she had zero ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a type of breast cancer. Later, the double mastectomy she underwent in May confirmed their suspicions: there was a tumor in her chest.
Getting Back Her Smile
Shanice talked about how finding out about her cancer diagnosis took a toll on her, but that she decided to move forward, waiting for the best. "When I had my surgery and they told me I had cancer, I literally lost my smile," said Shanice. "But I wanted to come on the show to encourage women that you have to keep smiling. I got my smile back."
She made her announcement on Instagram in September. Feeling strong enough to talk about it, she was able to share her journey with her fans. "Happy Sunday everyone... God is a healer.. So 3 months I had a double mastectomy," wrote Shanice. "I had a stage one one centimeter tumor in my breast. Thank God I caught it early... I wasn't ready to talk about it then but I'm strong enough to talk about it now."
She then proceeded to thank everyone who helped her through her process. This included friends who helped her with herbs, advice, support, and prayers. Especially, she was very grateful for the help she received from Flex Alexander. She married the comedian and actor in 2000.
"Thank you @flexaforeal for helping me get through the hardest time of my life," wrote Shanice. "You helped me every day with my drains and cooked all my meals.. I love you.. I am healed and restored in Jesus name."
