Miranda McKeon was at a party with her friends on what would have been a typical summer evening until she noticed something a little different.
She went into the bathroom to adjust her top when her hand brushed against a lump she had felt before. Her mind immediately went to the worst-case scenario, and she fell down a rabbit hole of googling breast cancer symptoms.
She assured herself that she was fine, the odds of getting breast cancer at 19-year-olds are one in one million afterall. She scheduled an appointment with her primary care doctor just in case. On June 14th, a few days after the appointment, she got a call from her doctor. It wasn’t the news she wanted to hear. With that began her journey of not only going through the process of cancer treatment but also becoming a voice for the breast cancer community.
Before coming to USC to study communication, McKeon had already made a name for herself playing Josie Pye on Netflix’s “Anne with An E” and with that had an Instagram following of several hundred thousand. She was used to sharing her life with her audience but she was mostly just posting pictures of regular life, photos from high school prom or family vacations. Suddenly, she had to decide how to share a major twist in her life with her followers.
Less than a month after her initial diagnosis, she started her blog and began to write and share even more. Now her posts range from documentations of chemo days to more poetic musings on her situation.
“It was a decision I didn’t take lightly” the actress recounts. She took a week before deciding to post about her situation publicly. “It’s uncomfortable, like sharing is uncomfortable, but I think it’s a good thing and will help a lot of people.”
For her, sharing did not feel optional because she knew her cancer was not something she could hide.
“Like 90% of my hair has fallen out, and I’m pretty sure my eyelashes and eyebrows are going to go any day now,” she said. “And so I don’t know how long or how well I could hide that I’m going through something like this.”
Connecting with her followers and documenting her journey has helped her find solace.
“[The blog] has been like the main thing that’s kept me afloat,” she said, “writing out these pieces has been beyond therapeutic and like, really just like saved my life, got me through it.”
McKeon first announced her cancer diagnosis with an Instagram post that showed her wearing a pink hospital gown and a handwritten letter explaining the whirlwind she had experienced that week. Immediately she received an outpouring of love and support from her followers. Though it was difficult to share at first, McKeon said she is glad she has been able to use her experience to educate others.
Her Instagram comments are full of people sharing their breast cancer stories. “I had my second round of chemo yesterday. Hang in there. Thank you for sharing your story and bringing education and light to the topic for women of all ages,” says @courtneyr3d on Instagram.
McKeon’s story has continued to reach a wider audience. She appeared on Good Morning America Tuesday to discuss her experiences and explain how breast cancer can impact people at any age.
As her following grew, she wanted to share more on Instagram, but she said she couldn’t fit all her thoughts within the character limits, which is why she introduced her blog.
“I was always looking for something more meaningful, you could say, to do with my social media audience,” McKeon said.
McKeon said the blog has helped her reach a wider community of breast cancer patients, survivors and families.
“It has been really amazing because those people who have gone through this experience or know someone who has gone through this experience have been reaching out,” she said.
McKeon said she is glad that her story is resonating with so many people and has also taken the opportunity to encourage women to get breast exams at all ages. She says that many young women go unchecked because they are not considered high risk.
McKeon currently has her last of eight chemo rounds to go, an upcoming surgery in November and then several months of radiation to follow. She plans to continue to document her process and be a voice for young people with breast cancer.
During all of this, she said taking classes and participating in university events has helped her feel a sense of normalcy.
“I’ve noticed when I come back to campus and I’m around all my friends and my life’s at a quicker pace, I immediately feel like I’m brought back to me,” McKeon said.