Sandra Lee doing ‘as well as can be expected’ after double mastectomy

Sandra Lee has come through her double mastectomy “as well as can be expected,” her boyfriend, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, said Tuesday.

“Around 8 a.m. this morning, Sandy underwent surgery that concluded just before 1 p.m.,” the New York politician said in a statement. “I am happy to report that she is doing as well as can be expected and has begun the post-surgery recovery process.”

The lifestyle guru and celebrity chef went public with her breast cancer diagnosis a week ago on “Good Morning America.”

“I just was still. I didn’t even cry, I was stunned,” Lee said on the show, telling Robin Roberts about her reaction upon hearing the diagnosis. “And that’s how fast life turns, it turns on a dime.”

A lumpectomy didn’t yield clean margins, the 48-year-old said, so she consulted with a couple of physicians about whether to have one breast or both removed.

“Both the radiologist and the doctor said, ‘You’re a ticking time bomb,’ and they both said, ‘I would just get them both done.’”

Lee was diagnosed with DCIS, or ductal carcinoma in situ, which according to the Mayo Clinic is the most common non-invasive kind of breast cancer. Though it is not life-threatening, it requires treatment and according to BreastCancer.org, puts a person at higher risk later on of developing an invasive cancer that spreads beyond the milk ducts and into breast tissue.

She’d originally planned the surgery for late last week but postponed it because she had an upper respiratory infection.

“On behalf of Sandy and myself, I want to thank everyone for their kind thoughts and prayers over the last few days,” Cuomo said Tuesday. “Your support has meant the world to us.”

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