Shyra Sanchez is speaking out about her years-long breast cancer battle and the surgeries that changed her body.
The singer, dancer and producer, who was diagnosed with grade 3 breast cancer in 2020 at the height of the Covid pandemic, underwent a mastectomy and lumpectomy on her right breast, followed by a partial hysterectomy that left her unable to have children. She was prescribed tamoxifen, an oral hormone therapy drug, and later completed six months of radiation five days a week.
Sanchez said she first learned of her diagnosis after visiting a plastic surgeon for what she believed was a shifted breast implant. “I got the news, and it was just like, it was stunning,” she said. “It can’t be breast cancer because I’m healthy… I don’t feel sick or have any symptoms, you know? And I think every woman, they kind of think, ‘No, it can’t be me.'”
The pandemic timing compounded her isolation. Sanchez recalled heading into surgery alone, with family and friends barred from accompanying her due to hospital restrictions. “You’re by yourself,” she said. “I may not come out, you know, I may, like, die,” she added, calling the experience “awakening.”
After her initial surgery, doctors discovered cancer cells still present and growing. Her medical team determined radiation was the best remaining option. “I did radiation for six months, five days a week,” Sanchez said. “I would just feel just exhausted.”
“The first week or two, you’re like, okay, you know, this isn’t too bad,” she continued. “I would probably say the fourth week, that’s when it started to hit me because my skin was starting to peel off. And it was like I was burning.”
Sanchez explained how she found the will to push through. “Something clicked in my mind, and I said, you know what? I can’t have this happen. I’m too young to die. I have to have the fight, not fear. And something just clicked.”
The “Sky is Falling” singer was declared cancer-free in 2023 and has remained so since. She was able to stop taking tamoxifen last year, though she still receives routine mammograms and sees her doctor every six months.
The news that she could not have children was “devastating,” Sanchez shared, but she has redirected that love toward her nieces and fans. She has also begun exploring breast reconstruction for her right breast to feel more like herself again. Earlier this week she met with celebrity plastic surgeon Dr. Nicholas Nikolov, who said, “Every woman who has undergone a mastectomy deserves the opportunity to explore breast reconstruction,” Nikolov added that the goal is to “achieve a balanced result while minimizing the extent of surgery and recovery time,” with emphasis on emotional well-being and body confidence.
On Saturday morning, Sanchez attended Dance Your Way to Health, a breast cancer awareness event in Los Angeles created by Lousine Ahjemian, RadNet’s Director of Mammography Training in the West. Later that day she performed her hits “Dance with Me” and “Operator” at The Unstoppable Show presented by Supermodels Unlimited Magazine at Los Angeles Fashion Week.
When asked what she would tell other women facing the same fight, Sanchez said, “Don’t stop fighting. If you get diagnosed, get a good, strong base that’s gonna be supportive of you and love you.”
“Start loving you more because your mindset is what’s gonna get you through everything.”
Sanchez is scheduled to continue performing and advocating for breast cancer awareness through upcoming events in Los Angeles.
