Bachelor Nation alum Katie Thurston has revealed that her mom has breast cancer, nearly one year after sharing her own breast cancer diagnosis.
In a candid Monday, Jan. 19 post on Instagram, Thurston announced that she had flown to Seattle this past weekend to be with her mom during her first doctor's appointment.
"I want to make sure she is getting proper care and information. I hate that we have to be our biggest advocate but also, it's what will save your life," she captioned her post.
The post included a throwback photo of Thurston and her mom, over which she wrote that her mom was diagnosed with breast cancer "a few weeks ago."
According to Thurston, her mom had her mammogram in December 2025, which she was told came back "negative" and "probably benign."
The doctors noted that Thurston's mom had dense breasts, but didn't recommend further imaging.
"They told her to come back in a new year for her annual mammogram. They never suggested a breast ultrasound," Thurston wrote over the photo. "I told her to ask for a breast ultrasound. Ultrasounds can find cancer hidden within dense breasts."
After Thurston's mom had an ultrasound, Thurston said doctors found "suspicious masses" and ultimately ended up performing a breast MRI and biopsies. Two weeks later, her mother was diagnosed with cancer.
Thurston wrote in the post's caption that they are set to get "more answers" about her mom's condition soon, and that she believes their "own advocacy allowed us to catch this early."
Thurston revealed her own breast cancer diagnosis in February 2025.
After initially believing that it was stage 3 breast cancer (invasive ductal carcinoma), Thurston announced a month later that her diagnosis had progressed, as signs of the disease were discovered on her liver.
"After days of waiting, unfortunately, I did find out today that my breast cancer has spread to the liver. It is fairly small, however, that does put me at stage four," Thurston said on an Instagram video in March.
After finishing her second month of treatment in early June, Thurston opened up about her experience with living with stage four breast cancer and dealing with side effects like memory loss and her hair falling out in "clumps."
She gave an update on her condition amid her "medication-type treatment" during an appearance on Good Morning America in October 2025.
"We actually just did my six-month scan earlier this week, and the medicine is still working. The tumor is still shrinking, and when you're stage 4, that's really all you can hope for," Thurston said.