Katie Couric Says 2 Daughters Are the 'Reasons' She Puts 'Health First' After Breast Cancer Diagnosis

Katie Couric is calling attention to Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

To mark the first day of the campaign on Saturday, the former TODAY Show co-anchor shared a reminder for her followers on Instagram to get their "annual mammogram."

"And ask your radiologists if you have dense breasts and need additional screening," she said. "I was six months late getting mine and was shocked when I found out I had stage 1A breast cancer. Early detection is so important to a favorable outcome."

Couric, 65, continued, "This #BreastCancerAwarenessMonth, help me spread the word that screening saves lives. Share a photo with whoever or whatever inspires you to put your health first, and share it on social using the hashtag, #IScreenYouScreen."

Sharing a photo of herself with her two daughters — Ellie, 31, and Caroline, 26 — in the post, she added, "I will repost you! Here are two of my reasons… what are yours? #iscreenyouscreen."

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Couric revealed in a personal essay on Wednesday that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. She urged women to get their mammograms — something she said she had to be reminded of during a visit to her gynecologist.

"Please get your annual mammogram," wrote Couric at the time. "I was six months late this time. I shudder to think what might have happened if I had put it off longer. But just as importantly, please find out if you need additional screening."

She explained in her essay that she learned she had cancer after her mammogram — and a breast sonogram she routinely undergoes to detect abnormalities that sometimes can't be seen through her dense breast tissue — spotted something her doctor wanted to look at further.

A biopsy later came back as showing cancer in her breast.

"I felt sick and the room started to spin," the famed journalist wrote of the moment she learned of her diagnosis. "I was in the middle of an open office, so I walked to a corner and spoke quietly, my mouth unable to keep up with the questions swirling in my head. 'What does this mean? Will I need a mastectomy? Will I need chemo? What will the next weeks, months, even years look like?' "

Couric had a lumpectomy on July 14, doctors removed a tumor she wrote was "2.5 centimeters, roughly the size of an olive."

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Pathology results came back as showing that her cancer was stage 1A. She also learned that the likelihood of the cancer returning was "considered low enough to forgo chemotherapy."

The former talk show host — whose husband John Molner had "a tumor the size of a coconut on his liver" surgically removed prior to their 2014 wedding — started radiation on Sept. 7, with her final round occurring last week on Tuesday.

As she concluded her essay, she went on to reveal that she'd be using her experience as a teachable moment.

"During the month of October, we'll be covering every aspect of breast cancer: the latest diagnostic tools, treatments, and prevention strategies as well as sharing first-person accounts," Couric said. "And of course, I'll have more on what I'm learning as I navigate my own diagnosis."