Charles Sykes/BravoReal Housewives of New Jersey star Amber Marchese has successfully undergone a partial mastectomy to remove cancer from one of her breasts in her second battle with the deadly disease.
Amber had surgery yesterday to remove the new lump and surrounding tissue, E! News has learned. Since she already had a full mastectomy over five years ago during her cancer battle, her husband Jim Marchese is referring to it as a partial mastectomy.
"The surgery was close to four hours. They removed the tumor and more than 20 millimeters surrounding it," Jim tells E! News. "She was in a good deal of pain last night, but she's been resting and she's coming home today. After this, she'll have five weeks of radiation and then another surgery."
Jim adds, "She's really appreciative of everyone's thoughts and prayers. She'll be back on her feet in a few days. She's going to keep going and keep fighting."
Amber announced she was battling cancer again last month. "Truth be told, I found another mass, in the same breast as my first diagnosis, this past Friday before Easter," Amber shared with her Twitter followers. "I lifted my arms over my head, touched the side of my breast (I am not sure what made me do that) and there it was. A small pea sized, somewhat bean shaped, lump."
Shortly after, Amber told E! News, "I'm going to handle this with grace, positivity and faith. I don't know why this is happening to me, but it is. So I have to turn it into an opportunity to raise awareness. Some good has to come from this."
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—Reporting by Beth Sobol