Originally published 3/26/26

In August 2024, Boy Meets World star Danielle Fishel was diagnosed with a form of stage 0 breast cancer. She was 42 at the time and had no symptoms. Now, almost two years later, the actress and former Dancing With the Stars contestant is opening up about her health journey. In a recent conversation with Woman’s World to promote her campaign with Lysol Lavender & Cotton Blossom scented products, the star revealed why she went to her doctor and what advice she gives to women now. Read on for everything you need to know about Danielle Fishel’s diagnosis and cancer treatment. 

A routine mammogram caught cancer that Fishel couldn’t feel

During a routine screening, Fishel, now 44, learned that she had ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), an early-stage form of breast cancer. She wasn’t investigating a lump. She wasn’t responding to discomfort. She was simply showing up for a regular checkup.

Fishel shared her cancer diagnosis publicly in an August 2024 episode of Pod Meets World, which she co-hosts with her former Boy Meets World costars Will Friedle and Rider Strong. 

“It just goes to show you that you can’t skip routine checkups just because of how you feel,” Fishel tells Woman’s World. “By the time you start showing symptoms of cancer, you might be in an advanced stage.” 

And even though her cancer was caught early, the treatment was no small thing. “Even with a very early stage diagnosis, I needed two lumpectomies and 20 days of radiation and medication I will take every day for five years,” Fishel says. “There is no ‘easy’ cancer.”

The importance of regular mammograms

According to the American Cancer Society, mammograms can detect breast cancer up to three years before it can be felt. DCIS, specifically, is almost always found through mammography rather than physical symptoms. Three years is a lot of lead time—and Fishel’s story shows exactly why that window matters.

She credits her parents for building the screening habit early. “I have always been good about my regular doctor checkups because my parents were—and still are—good about that, so it was modeled for me growing up,” she said. Without that routine, her early-stage diagnosis could have become something far more serious before she ever noticed a change.

Why Fishel wants to change what ‘self-care’ means

Following her breast cancer diagnosis, Fishel decided that she wanted to change what self-care looked like. Not only for herself, but for women everywhere. 

“I don’t think it’s a surprise to women that we are resilient, but I wish the term ‘self-care’ didn’t have an association with luxury or indulgence,” she said. “Caring for yourself is a bare minimum, and even if you are the busiest person on Earth, making time for your health and wellness, including your mental health, should be in your top three priorities.”

Her words shift the conversation from “you deserve this” to “you need this.” When self-care gets wrapped up in spa-day branding and treat-yourself marketing, it starts to feel optional—something you earn after everything else is handled. Fishel’s version puts it closer to eating or sleeping: non-negotiable.

The one area of her health Fishel had been neglecting

Fishel was consistent about her physical checkups, which helped her doctors discover her cancer as early as they did. Mental health was the gap. “One area I didn’t prioritize was my mental health, and receiving a scary diagnosis like cancer can bring up a lot of emotion,” she says.

A cancer diagnosis, even an early one caught by screening, forces a reckoning. The anxiety of waiting for results, the recovery from procedures, the daily medication stretching out for years — it all accumulates. Fishel responded by doing something she hadn’t done before. She started seeing a therapist.

“I now have a therapist and make checking in with myself about how I’m feeling a regular part of my self-care. It’s helped me be a better communicator,” she says.