'The Bachelor' Alum Katie Thurston Shares Cancer Diagnosis: "I Am Ready To Fight This"

Despite not finding true love on reality TV, Katie Thurston has finally found her perfect match! In June 2024, the former Bachelorette leading lady confirmed she was dating comedian Jeff Arcuri, and just three months later, they announced their engagement.

While we're sure these lovebirds have been enjoying their time as fiancés and planning their wedding, Katie shared a serious life update in February 2025.

Here's everything you need to know.

In an emotional Instagram post on February 15, 2025, Katie Thurston disclosed that she's been diagnosed with breast cancer. The former FBOY Island star posted two photos of herself smiling along with a lengthy and heartfelt caption, starting with, "Life update: I have breast cancer."

Katie opened up about her Valentine's Day, saying, "Yesterday, I saw all the couples post their Valentine's Day celebrations. I felt envious if I'm being honest." She and Jeff went to Hawaii, and after, they were going to "travel the world before planting roots together in NYC, finally."

However, her Valentine's Day was spent organizing her living arrangements, as she had to return to L.A. for further testing and treatment.

Instead of celebrating Valentine's Day with her fiancé, Katie spent the whole morning handling "insurance for NYC and laws on preexisting conditions," as well as scheduling appointments for a biopsy, fertility consultations, mental health support, and surgery, "as well as meeting with my team to discuss the overall treatment plan, which will include chemo."

Katie revealed she had been diagnosed with breast cancer two weeks prior, sharing that she went through a whirlwind of emotions.

"Despair. Anger. Sadness. Denial. And then strength," she wrote. "Purposeful. Ready. I cried a lot. I tried to even make a video instead of this post and couldn't."

Katie also expressed that early on, she sought out stories from other young women facing similar battles.

"Invasive ductal carcinoma. Mastectomy. Pregnancy after breast cancer. All of their stories helped," she said. "So I intend to be the same for others. This is day one of sharing, and is going to be a long one. This first step of acceptance of my reality was the hardest. But I am ready to fight this."

Katie concluded the post by expressing gratitude to Jeff, calling him her "extraordinary husband-to-be." She continued, "I don't know how I’d do this without you. The selfless love that you smother me in is beyond anything I imagined I'd be blessed with. I love you to the fullest in this lifetime and the next."

Since sharing her diagnosis, Katie has answered a few questions on her Instagram Story.

When asked about the stage of her cancer and whether she has the BRCA gene, Katie responded, "Waiting on learning what stage. Getting another biopsy on my lymph node, which will tell me more. I once did a 23andme and was informed I did not have the BRCA gene. I'll be doing updated genetic testing soon to know for sure. My family doesn't have a history of breast cancer."

Katie then explained how she discovered the lump, saying, "I had a small lump in my breast, around the 10 o'clock spot. I discovered it myself. Thought maybe it was my period. Maybe it was muscle soreness from working out. But eventually, this lump never went away. I once had a benign cyst removed from that same breast and thought maybe it was that again. Went to the doc thinking it was going to be nothing. I was wrong."

In another post, Katie described the steps that followed: "I went in from a breast ultrasound. Afterward, they sent me to get my first mammogram, And then I had to get multiple biopsies taken and sent off for testing to confirm."

Katie also shared a detail from June 2024, when she had a scan with Prenuvo: "They couldn't confirm anything then but suggested further exploration. I didn't even feel a lump then, and since my scar from my prior lumpectomy was on the same side, I assumed it was old scar tissue.

Additionally, Katie revealed that her cancer is hormone-positive, meaning she has "stopped taking birth control" to start treatment. She also shared that her fertility "will be impacted" by chemotherapy, so she has made an appointment with her fertility doctor to preserve her eggs.

We are sending Katie so much strength as she navigates this difficult journey.