Tina Knowles shares important lessons she learned during her breast cancer journey.
Speaking to the audience during a panel discussion at the 2026 LA Times Festival of Books Matriarch: A Memoir The author recommended getting a mammogram early, admitting that she herself missed a mammogram twice before being diagnosed with cancer in July 2024.
Knowles, who is the mother of Beyoncé and Solange, acknowledged that she was lucky to receive the diagnosis at an early stage, calling it a “miracle”.
“So go and get your mammogram – it’s so important to take care of yourself,” she stressed.
Additionally, he pointed to the importance of being surrounded by an inner circle, whether “they’re related to you by blood or if they’re friends.”
She explained, “When you hear the word cancer, it’s the most terrifying thing you can ever go through, and you need people around you who will support you and get you through it.
”I had a lot of people who helped me get through it, but some people are not as lucky.”
Furthermore, recounting the lessons she learned during her health crisis, she learned to “slow down” and “stop being so dependent.”
Now, Knowles just “really takes care” of herself and “takes time to enjoy” her life and tries to “not be so stressed out all the time.”
