YouTube personality Grace Helbig, 41, has shared a positive health update, reporting that her recovery is progressing well one month after undergoing brain surgery to remove tumors. Helbig, who was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer in 2023, revealed in a TikTok video that she is currently NED, meaning there is no evidence of disease detectable by scans.
Helbig was initially diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023 and achieved remission after treatment and a lumpectomy. However, the cancer later metastasized and spread to her brain. She described the brain surgery as successful, humorously comparing the removal of the tumors to getting rid of hecklers at a comedy show.
"Healing has been going great," Helbig told her followers. She acknowledged that while stage 4 cancer is a serious diagnosis, advancements in science have allowed it to be treated more like a chronic illness. "Now, stage IV is often treated like a chronic illness. Wild, but let me be clear, I am stage IV metastatic breast cancer. However, I am NED," she stated.
She also discussed the lingering anxiety that accompanies medical checkups after a recurrence. "When you are in remission, you never quite feel totally safe or clear, every time I get a mammogram, every time I've gone for an MRI, that there would be recurrence," Helbig said. However, she noted that having anticipated such a scenario due to past experiences has made it more manageable.
Helbig has found support and camaraderie among fellow breast cancer survivors, referring to them as "incredible friends" and part of an "elite group of metastatic bada**es." She finds inspiration in their ability to live fulfilling lives despite their diagnosis, stating, "Seeing them the last few years has really primed me to understand that it is paradoxically possible to live beautiful, relatively normal lives with stage IV metastatic breast cancer."
Recently, Helbig completed her fifth and final round of radiation. She is now focused on determining her future treatment plan. "Now is the part of my treatment plan where I am trying to figure out what will be my treatment moving forward," she shared. Helbig expressed optimism about the future, describing the experience as teaching her resilience and flexibility. "I still feel optimistic," she concluded.
Helbig, known for her YouTube content and co-hosting the podcast This Might Get Weird with Mamrie Hart, is also participating in the comedy fundraiser Cancer Is a Joke. She married comedian Elliott Morgan in October 2022.