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Today contributor Jill Martin is celebrating almost one year of being breast cancer-free after enduring what she calls an “earth-shattering” journey of chemotherapy, surgery, and “mental trauma.”
The fashion expert spoke to Us Weekly about her journey at a recent taping of Today.
“I hold two emotions that don’t normally go together simultaneously,” she told the outlet. “I’m so grateful to be cancer-free, but on the other hand, I just came out of a year of fog and people look at me and they think I look like myself. To me, I look totally different and my body’s totally different.”
She continued, “I’ve spent the last year just trying to save my life. And now, I’m dealing with the mental trauma of it all. And I think a lot of survivors will tell you, it’s never over. It’s not like, ‘When are you done?’ or ‘Is it over?’ It’s never over. This is a fight I will fight my entire life. I think about chemotherapy every single day.”
Martin was visiting Today to kick off the start of Breast Cancer Awareness month. She and several Today guests were sporting pink sherpa jackets from her clothing brand By Jill Martin, created in partnership with the NBA and WNBA to raise donations for the Basser Center for BRCA.
The BRCA gene is linked to an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute.
The Today contributor said it’s become her “mission in life” to advocate for people to get genetic testing done to assess their risk of cancer.
“My year has been earth-shattering [for] my family and it could have been avoided,” she said. “I got it because I did not get genetic testing in time. … It’s not just a history of breast cancer. Ask your doctor about genetic testing. I know people are nervous and they say, ‘I don’t wanna know.’ Trust me. The alternative is worse. I do not want one more person to go through [it].”
In 2023, Martin told Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager on Today that she learned she had a “60-90% chance of getting breast cancer” when she opted to get genetic testing done, even though she already had a “clear” mammogram just months before.
The cancer was found during the routine preoperative MRI scan done before the preventative surgery, she explained. “That test saved my life. Had I not gotten the test, I wouldn’t have gotten the scans and we would be telling a very different story,” she told Kotb and Bush Hager.
Martin underwent a double mastectomy and chemotherapy. She completed chemotherapy months later and shared an emotional video of herself ringing the bell in November 2023.
Martin’s recent visit to Today was an emotional affair. She reunited with SoulCycle founding instructor Stacey Griffith, who underwent chemotherapy with her. Dwayne Wade also surprised her with a video message honoring her “courage” and “tenacity.”
“I admire that you have shared your story, that you have continued to try to help so many others, not only by your platform, [but] by the work that you do,” he said. “And so, I just wanted to give you a salute and say that I’m proud of you and I’m thankful to call you a friend.”
