Former Real Housewives of Atlanta star Cynthia Bailey opened up about her mother’s battle with breast cancer. Her mother, Barbara Ford Morris, revealed that she was preparing for surgery on August 22. 

“SURGERY DAY. Thank you for all the love, phone calls, texts and prayers, everyone. My mother @barbarafmorris is a little anxious & nervous but otherwise in good spirits mentally and emotionally,” Bailey assured the audience. She did disclose that there were a few complications leading up to it. Her blood pressure was too high to operate when they prepped her, but thankfully they were able to get it down before the surgery. Now we pray and wait. CONTINUE to pray with me & my family for a successful surgery & a speedy recovery.” 

In the Instagram post, she added, “Ladies, please make it a priority to get your mammograms every year. That is how we found the cancer & was able to get it out early. early detection is key!”

The message was one that she continued to repeat to her audience multiple times. She advocated that it was key to a successful breast cancer treatment. 

The next day, Bailey went to the media to update people about the surgery results. 

“Woke up this morning feeling blessed, happy and grateful to share with all you that my mother @barbarafmorris surgery was successful yesterday. We did have some issues with her blood pressure being too high at the beginning & at the end of the surgery, but by the grace of God, her doctor & her amazing team at #emoryhospital were able to get everything under control,” She thanked Emory University for how well they took care of her mother. “thank you all again for all the social media love, phone calls, text and most importantly the prayers. I apologize to anyone that reached out & did not get a timely response from me. It was a very early & very long day, and my priority was to keep my mother mentally & emotionally comfortable. Oh & thank you to everyone that jumped on my IG live while I was waiting for the surgery to be completed,” 

She continued to thank everyone who kept her strong during the procedure and then reiterated her message, “I did get a little emotional, but it felt good to cry and let it all out. My mom is here with me at Lake Bailey, resting and recovering. she took care of me my whole life and now it’s my turn to take care of her. You only get one mother; cherish them. Reminder!!! Ladies, please make sure you get your yearly mammogram. That is how we found the cancer. Early detection is key.”

Breastcancer.org echoed the sentiment on its website. They said Mammograms “can save your life. Finding breast cancer early reduces your risk of dying from the disease by 25-30% or more. Women should begin having mammograms yearly at age 40, or earlier if they’re at high risk.”