10 Stars Who Had a Mastectomy, and Not All Are Women

7. Hoda Kotb

Today anchor Hoda Kotb thought she took great care of her health, so when her gynecologist found a lump during a routine visit in February 2007, she was in shock and denial. At first she wanted to keep things under wraps, saying, “I don’t want to be ‘the girl with cancer’.” However, she realized she was in a position to help others in a similar situation, and has become an outspoken advocate for breast cancer survivors. She had a mastectomy to remove the lumps, followed by five years of taking Tamoxifen to prevent the cancer from spreading. She says, “Cancer survivors are blessed with two lives. There is your life before cancer, and your life after. I am here to tell you your second life is going to be so much better than the first.”