E! News anchor and reality TV star Giuliana Rancic encouraged the crowd of young women gathered at the PMAC for the Delta Gamma Lectureship in Values and Ethics on Sunday to chase goals and give back.
Rancic spoke on her career in entertainment and surviving breast cancer.
After marrying her husband, the couple aimed to show audiences how positive relationships work by staying true to their commitment without a rating focus.
“There is a hunger for positivity out there,” Rancic said.
When the couple had issues with infertility, they decided to go public with their struggle.
“We put this journey out there, and we were reliving all the pain all day long and had no reward at the end of the day,” Rancic said.
When visiting a new doctor for infertility treatments, she had a mammogram done and was diagnosed with cancer.
After hearing the news, she described a feeling of falling and only hearing words like “chemotherapy,” “lambodomey” and “mastectomy.”
After several discussions with her husband, Rancic decided to go public with her story to report on an issue that could help save someone’s life.
“It’s a privilege to have this platform, and it’s given me the courage to share this story,” Rancic said.
Two weeks after her double mastectomy, Rancic returned to work to get back to normalcy as quickly as possible.
Rancic highlighted that the hair and makeup part of her job allowed her to finally recognize the person in the mirror after surgery.
This feeling granted to her by a team of stylists and proper lighting led her to start the foundation, Fab-U-Wish which grants beauty- and style-themed wishes to women with breast and ovarian cancer.
Lafayette resident Roxanne Graham said she came to the event to support her daughter, but walked away from the talk just as inspired as the other young women in the audience.
Catherine Cole, education freshman, said Rancic presented herself as a relatable person.
“It made her sound really personal. She can relate to people,” Cole said.
Graham also said she enjoyed the strong message of turning tough situations into something positive.
“It became her purpose to help others,” Graham said. “One day someone is going to use this message to get through a rough time.”
