When K. Michelle recalls what led her to inject silicone into her buttocks over six years ago, the singer and tv personality says she felt it was something she needed to reach music.

“I had just signed a new record deal and I felt like the bigger the butt, the bigger the career,” she tells ESSENCE. “I already had a big butt. It was just ridiculous.”

The star couldn’t have predicted that she would talk about how the injections almost killed her. After trying to remove the silicone, she discovered it had spread throughout her body and was having harmful effects, including on her ability to walk. It took the singer years and multiple surgeries to get to where she is now, claiming she’s “probably the healthiest I’ve ever seen her.”

After going through this ordeal, K began working on making a program to help individuals with similar experiences. The result’s a brand new series, the official premiere of which can happen on February 3.

“Several people have gone through this and are just starting to feel the effects,” he says of the people in the series who want to correct mistakes after plastic surgery and whom he tries to help. “You even have women who have recently had this procedure and are feeling the effects right away.”

As the popularity of plastic surgery continues to grow, K says more conversations need to be had about the proven fact that many trips under the knife don’t end as planned.

“You only see beauty and you only see stories… after they photoshopped their bodies to death outside of surgery,” he says. “I wanted to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth about this.”

The series may even feature her ongoing journey towards health and happiness together with her body. Because silicone won’t ever be completely faraway from the body, she pays attention to her body, including what she introduces through her food plan, in a way she hasn’t in the past. When it comes to accepting where she is physically now, she truthfully admits that she struggles with the desire to undergo plastic surgery in the future.

“I am faced with a difficult decision. My doctor thinks I will probably need two more reconstructions, and they will be for cosmetic reasons, not health reasons. That’s why I fight,” he says. “Sometimes I think, ‘I’ll never come back to this table!’ But then I can put something on and then the reconstruction dent appears and I say, “I’m going to fix it.” I am human. I go back and forth.”

She adds: “I like the way I look. I feel pretty. I feel hopeful and comfortable that I’m healthy and able to function. I believe this brings one other beauty. I believe I actually have a grown woman inside me and I believe she’s beautiful, so I’m on the right path to what I believe about myself.”

However, that does not stop social media from claiming that she already had the job done, which the star only addressed in the comical way she could.

“You know how people dressed you? They subjected me to surgeries,” he says. “I had a facelift on Monday and on Wednesday I have a new face. Let them tell them, it’s always something.”

That being said, despite what people might imagine or expect from watching , K is against plastic surgery. He just wants everyone to concentrate on the risks and do their research before deciding to go on the operating table.

“I’m all for what you want to do with your body. It’s something we have to do called research, and even within the research we can still decide that we don’t expect the result. It’s just surgery and it’s something you just have to mentally prepare for and understand,” he says. “Know your medical history and what you’re going through. How does your body react to things before you go under the knife? It’s really a self-study. It’s nothing quick, you just get up and do it. Similar to researching When you want to buy a car, you should definitely consider what you are going to do with your life and body, because you only get one.”

Read more of our conversation with K. Michelle about her health journey, recent music (including her latest R&B album and first country album), her debut movie role on Lifetime’s and why you’ll be able to’t put a star in a box.

When Toks Olagundoye looks back on the day she was diagnosed with breast cancer, she remembers it clearly. The Nigerian actress experienced an avalanche of emotions, but not those that you simply would necessarily expect.

“At first I was annoyed,” she tells ESSENCE with a chuckle, explaining that she had already had a mammogram, so she thought she knew what to anticipate from her doctor. “He calls and says everything is fine, and I keep going,” says Toks. This time, nonetheless, that was not the case. Olagundoye was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer, which in accordance with American Cancer Societyis a more “aggressive type of invasive breast cancer” that may spread quickly, has fewer treatment options and can have worse outcomes. Black women, women under 40, and girls with a BRCA1 mutation usually tend to be diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer than women in other demographic groups.

Discovery Calm within the storm

However, the wife and mother admit that the diagnosis also brought an unexpected sense of relief. Olagundoye’s family history of cancer is extensive and has all the time been predictive of diagnosis. “There is a lot of cancer in my family, especially on my mother’s side,” she says. “All my life I thought I would probably get something. I thought, “Well, I don’t have to worry about getting anything anymore.” Now I’ve dealt with it, I can fix it and move on.”

The diagnosis got here while she was a part of the solid of the Paramount+ series. Due to the diagnosis, she underwent five surgeries, including a double mastectomy and chemotherapy. Despite the rigorous treatment plan, the actress continued to work and tackle latest projects.

“Luckily I didn’t have to work every day and they were really good with my schedule because I had three surgeries during the show,” she recalled. “I’m lucky because I love what I do.”

After the filming was accomplished, the actress with a theater education modified the topic and through treatment she only accepted voice-over projects. Her manager and agent never hesitated to alter things and ask for extensions on assignments and deadlines when she was too drained from chemotherapy to work. She also confesses the support of her loving husband and fogeys who helped her survive this difficult period. “I received really good support. My mother and husband drove me around Los Angeles,” she said. “I sat with gratitude for most of it.”

Opportunities amidst adversity

The additional blessing she had been grateful for throughout the battle got here in the shape of a brand new opportunity. She selected to play Olivia Finch, head of Harvard University’s psychology department, within the Paramount+ reboot of the classic comedy series.

“When I got it, it was two weeks after my last chemotherapy. I was exhausted but very grateful,” she says. “There are so many people on the show that I have always wanted to work with. I was honored and proud to represent the black community on a show that was so white.”

Before her diagnosis, Olagundoye was overthinking to the purpose of hysteria. But this time her experience didn’t allow it. From the primary day on the set of the series, she felt that something was just different.

“I used to be very excited to be there. I assumed: Just come and memorize your lines. That’s all you want to do. I just listened to what the administrators and producers told me and did my best to point out it and be present. Everything prepared itself because that is all I could do,” she says. “It was a truly emancipating experience. I usually worry about whether I’m doing my job well. I had just been hired looking the worst I had ever looked in my life, so I thought, “I actually have nothing to fret about.” I actually have a terrific job and I’m just going to take a seat there.

Adding to this gift is the exceptional team on set. She praises the solid and crew and its leader, Kelsey Grammer.

“He did a lot for Black people on television,” he says. “He’s a person who insisted I wear my natural hair, and after I desired to wear braids, he said, ‘I feel it’s beautiful.’ This is what white men should do. Use your power to assist everyone else. Representation is so essential to him, our writers room is amazing.”

The actress found that her newfound sense of peace as an alternative of hysteria and intimidation would carry over to other areas of her life as well.

“I realize that everything will happen as it happens, whether you are worried or not. There is no reason to raise cortisol and drive everyone crazy. I don’t want to upset anyone else. I don’t want to make anyone’s day worse.” she says. “I’m glad my son won’t learn this level of anxiety from me.”

The power of self-care

In addition to learning to let go of such concerns, breast cancer has made Olagundoye a staunch advocate of self-care for black women.

“We deserve it. We have been taught that we don’t deserve the life we ​​have. We have been taught that we must accept the crumbs they give us. We deserve the best,” he says. “If you look at black women and what we do and give to the world, we are valuable.”

She emphasizes that taking good care of yourself includes leading a healthy lifestyle, constructing a trusted healthcare team, getting annual exams and knowing the fundamentals of breast health.

“If we don’t take care of ourselves, who will take care of our families?” – Olagundoye asks. “Go to the annual meetings. Learn to look at your breasts. Get to know your breasts and the way they feel so when you might have a lump that should not be there. If you are feeling like there’s something incorrect with you, when you feel there’s something incorrect along with your body, go consult with your doctor. If they do not take heed to you, go consult with another person. I do not care if it takes you seven months to search out someone, keep going until you do. Until you get the imaging or tests you would like. If you’ll be able to afford it, get genetic testing. We deserve the most effective.”

April loveThe Atlanta, Georgia-based philanthropist, media enthusiast and A-listers brand strategist has been a breast cancer survivor for over a decade and has made it her life’s mission to encourage women, especially women of color, to care for their bodies with holistic, preventative practices and early detection.

Let’s return to Christmas Eve 2009. Love was informed by doctors of her diagnosis of stage three ductal breast cancer after easy check-ups with her doctor and the suggestion that she undergo a routine mammogram, considering she was 35 years old on the time.

Shocked by the news, Love continued to disclaim her diagnosis and ignored calls from her medical team to schedule chemotherapy. She found the inner strength to face her diagnosis by conducting breast care awareness activities that enabled women to receive proper education, appropriate support and financial assistance while undergoing various treatments.

Love achieved remission a yr after undergoing two months of chemotherapy, six weeks of radiation therapy and surgery. Today, she continues her philanthropic efforts as a creator, host and executive producer Pink awards. This annual charity event raises funds for breast cancer patients who’re unable to financially support their families during treatment. In 2022, the Charge Up Campaign presented April with a Community Impact Award in recognition of her efforts to extend breast care awareness amongst women of color.

Essence: Tell me about your experience with breast cancer.

April love: I’m 13 years old, thriving, as I wish to call it, because surviving sometimes sounds a bit like I’m just waiting for things to vary, but I just do not feel like that. I feel like I’ve had, you recognize, a journey with cancer that has fulfilled a purpose in my life and created a purpose for me.

I went for my annual check-up and she scheduled me for a radiology appointment, which I had never been to before. So I went. She wanted to examine my thyroid after which scheduled me for a mammogram. I used to be over 30 years old, so a mammogram wasn’t necessarily something I dreamed of. After the mammogram, the doctors said they wanted to look at me again. They then took me back to the radiologist, showed me the realm of ​​my breast they were concerned about, and suggested a biopsy. I received the biopsy results around Christmas Eve from the identical breast surgeon, who asked me if I used to be alone, which was disturbing. She continued: “Well, we were concerned that you did indeed have breast cancer, and quite advanced ones at that. This is stage three.”

The surgeon wanted me to are available the day after Christmas to start out my breast care plan. So I spent that vacation desirous about all the pieces from having a mastectomy as to if I desired to have children, which led to a mental breakdown. So the surgeon only heard from me in early 2010, after a health checkup. Once they got me on the phone, the surgeon asked me, “Do you want to live?”

The light bulb went off and I spotted, “Yes, I know.” On that day, weeks had passed because the diagnosis was confirmed, and so my journey began.

Has your primary care doctor noticed anything disturbing? Or possibly just, “Hey, you are a certain age. We think it’s best to get a mammogram. Or possibly you felt that something was improper?

I still do not know. She never said if she felt anything in my chest. I’m sure I did because I immediately felt a lump as soon as I saw the actual image and the issue area.

Diagnosing breast cancer in black women may be difficult because we have now lots of fatty tissue and plenty of lumps and lumps in our breasts. Have you experienced any discharge, nipple discoloration, or other symptoms?

NO! And for it to be stage three cancer, I had no symptoms. Nothing even gave me any idea what was going on. There was no leakage, local pain, or discoloration; it looked like a tumor the dimensions of a golf ball. So, surprisingly, I didn’t.

Can you talk in regards to the specific style of breast cancer you suffered from?

My breast cancer was estrogen receptor ductal carcinoma. It is essential to know the source of the cancer cell and the way it got there. My cancer is hormonal. It’s a slow process, but it surely’s a highly regarded process, for lack of a greater word, because as young women, you recognize, we, especially black women, have irregular periods. I used to be taking contraception to control my period. I consider my cancer was brought on by a rise in estrogen levels in my body. So this slow-growing tumor was probably about ten years old in my body. I can have a physician or anyone who denies what I say, but I attribute it to the contraception I took as a youngster.

So why did you initially ignore treatment recommendations and what was your turning point?

Honestly, it was, you recognize, just an old fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of the misunderstanding that individuals robotically associate a cancer diagnosis with inevitable death. I didn’t know if I wanted this, what I desired to do with my body. I do know I didn’t need to cut off each breasts. There were so many things and so many unknowns that I just did not have the strength to deal with it.

So once you choose on treatment, you go for chemotherapy, right? Can you persuade our readers to make this decision?

I used to be really interested by holistic medicine, alternative healing modalities, and other forms of healing. And yes, once I inform you, I 110% didn’t need to undergo any chemotherapy. But once I talked to the breast surgeon and realized what stage I used to be at and that I actually desired to live, I said that I’d just leave it in God’s hands and I assumed: I’ll just do it. do chemotherapy.

My process was non-traditional because they typically attempt to do the surgery immediately. They desired to remove the cancer from there, but they desired to shrink mine. I also had one lymph node, which was concerning because that may be a sign of metastatic cancer that’s moving throughout the body. So I knew I needed to act quickly.

So I had chemotherapy, first surgery, after which radiotherapy. But it was terrible. I even have been on Adriamycin, which is named “The Red Devil” in our community, and it’s by far the worst thing I even have probably experienced. I at all times said, “This is as close to death as I can get without being dead.” Because I’d should make decisions like: will I’m going to the toilet, will I’m going to the fridge to eat something? water?. Because I had no strength left. I felt sick. I lost 40 kilos. My nails turned black. I had lost my hair, so all the pieces from physical problems to the vanity of being that sick person within the mirror, chemotherapy just isn’t something I would need on my worst enemy, but I felt I needed to make this decision.

Now that you just are in remission, how do you’re feeling about beating breast cancer?

It was traumatic, painful, uncomfortable. But for me, it woke up something in me.

Can you tell me why you created the Pink Awards and decided to assist other women fighting breast cancer?

It form of got here about once I was organizing these pink parties. I even have at all times been a publicist and event organizer. I worked within the entertainment industry, so I used to be already social, and I used to be blessed to have such a community of individuals around me: family and friends. They brought me food. But I spotted that there have been so many discrepancies, a lot misinformation, and little support. If people were diagnosed, they weren’t even given the chance to decide on. There have been a number of support groups, but for probably the most part these organizations and I don’t take their work frivolously. They are associated with Big Pharma and their goal is to acquire a greater drug or support treatment. And I desired to create, not only through performance, to spotlight the very fact of disproportion in our community. Be alone, however the incontrovertible fact that it kills people day-after-day, this disease will affect you; even when it isn’t you directly, it’ll accomplish that not directly.

The show attracts attention and awareness, and the work reaches and informs people. That’s why I began this: to amplify the message about things that I personally know are deficient in our community.