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Beyoncé's father, Mathew Knowles, reveals his breast cancer diagnosis

He's a survivor.
October 2, 2019 2:36 p.m. EST
October 4, 2019 9:22 a.m. EST
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While Beyoncé and Solange make headlines, their father, Mathew Knowles, typically stays out of the limelight. But that changed this week when Knowles revealed his own news he needed to share: his battle with breast cancer.It's Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Knowles couldn't have picked a better time to speak with Good Morning America's Michael Strahan. In the exclusive interview on Wednesday the men discussed Mathew's diagnosis, and if there's one thing to take from it, it's that early detection is what helped him cope with and manage his illness. Mathew noticed a red dot of blood that kept reappearing on his shirt, and it was the red flag he needed to have it checked out. Knowles had a mammogram and learned he did, indeed, have breast cancer."From a man's perspective, I'm thinking, 'Why me?'" Knowles said. Strahan pointed out that only one per cent of breast cancer diagnoses are men, which prompted Knowles to reveal that he has the brca 2 gene (a gene that, like brca 1, if inherited in a mutated form, may predispose some carriers to develop breast or ovarian cancer). In fact, Knowles actually has four things to be concerned about: prostate cancer, pancreatic cancer, melanoma and breast cancer. "The rest of my life, I have to be very much aware and conscious and do all of the early detection, constant mammograms, constant prostate exams, constant MRIs." Knowles adds that after surgery at the end of July, he's feeling "really good" and is "doing all the steps of recovery."He, of course, told his family of his condition right away, not just because they needed to know but also because it's genetic. "My kids have a higher chance, a higher risk, even my grandkids have a higher risk. And they handled it like they should, they went and got the test." Knowles could not stress enough just how important early detection is, particularly for men who aren't even aware it's a thing for them. "The numbers we have for men on breast cancer are not adequate because we don't have enough men that come forward that take the exam," he said, adding that he hopes that speaking out will help. "You can survive this but it has to be early detection." Knowles has since changed his outlook on life and his well-being, and is doing everything he can to be and stay healthy. "Things that used to be important are not important to me now. I just look at the world differently."Mathew and Tina Knowles divorced in 2011 after 30 years of marriage, but have remained amicable, supporting their daughters in everything they do. Mathew married Gena Avery in 2013, while Tina married Richard Lawson in 2015. Their daughters are, of course, Bey and Solange, and they have four grandchildren: Solange's son, Daniel, 14, whom she shares with her first husband; and Beyoncé and Jay-Z's kids, Blue Ivy, 7, and two-year-old twins Sir and Rumi.

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