Retired Severe Weather Team 2 Meteorologist Karen Minton diagnosed with breast cancer

ATLANTA — Retired Severe Weather Team 2 Meteorologist Karen Minton has been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Minton, who retired in 2018, helped people all across north Georgia prepare for their day for nearly 33 years at WSB-TV. Now, she wants to help encourage women to stay on top of their health after her recent diagnosis.

In September, Minton was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer. Monday, she is underwent surgery and is now at home recovering.

“The kind of cancer I have is very easily taken care of,” Karen told Channel 2′s Linda Stouffer.

Karen said she knows she’s lucky, but she’s also been diligent. Over the years, she always made time to keep up with cancer checks and medical follow ups, at times having mammograms at Piedmont Hospital every six months.

“I keep my checks going. I constantly go in when they tell me we have to have something looked at further, I do it. You have to find it early because I am not going anywhere,” Karen said.

He first surgery last month was a success. Monday’s nuclear medicine procedure, which went well, was to make sure they caught all the cancer.

“They will light up the sentinel nodes and any other nodes that may have cancer in them,” Karen explained. “There’s probably no cancer cells that migrated because we caught it so early.”

Karen said she hopes telling her story will let others know they’re not alone.

“My number one goal is that someone watching today who gets that diagnoses will not be scared and to know that she has so many people out there to help her and to stand with her,” Karen said.

And she hopes that others will take her story as a reminder to get checked.

“My message to other women who put this off is please don’t. Please don’t put it off,” she said.

Watch Karen’s full message in her own words in the video at the top of the page.

You can leave your well wishes for Karen in the comments of the post below.

About Breast Cancer

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Each year in the United States, about 255,000 women get breast cancer and 42,000 women die from the disease, according to the CDC.

Most breast cancers are found in women who are 50 years old or older, but breast cancer also affects younger women.

Early detection is key. The American Cancer Society says that women should be given the option to get an annual mammogram beginning at age 40. It recommends that all women at average risk be screened annually beginning at age 45.

Do you have a loved one who battled or is battling breast cancer? Share their photo and story with us below.

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