Inside Meghan McCain's Big Health Scare

Meghan McCain is no stranger to health scares. In 2022, McCain opened up about her nightmarish experience with COVID-19, which left her shaken by the disease's possible future side-effects on her body. Later, McCain learned that she could have an even more dangerous illness hiding inside of her. On December 30, 2024, McCain took to Instagram to reveal that a mass in her breast had been discovered. Thankfully, she continued, "I ... just got the news [that] the test came back benign."

Her close call with cancer gave McCain a real scare that seemed to linger even after she got the all clear. She posted her experience on social media as a reminder to her followers of the importance of cancer screenings. "I can't tell you how blessed, lucky, and relieved I am but for any woman who follows this account or my work, PLEASE get your mammograms," she warned. "It is so important and vital and something I know a lot of us put off. I am 40 and this was a scare for me."

According to a 2024 MedStar Health national survey, about 60% of 40-year-old and older women with an average risk of breast cancer skip out on their annual mammograms. "Just because a woman has had a normal mammogram in the past doesn't mean she's free and clear of the disease her entire life or is at lower risk of developing breast cancer," Dr. Michelle Townsend, a diagnostic radiologist, told MedStar Health. The fact that so many celebs have been bravely honest about their breast cancer diagnoses shows that it can affect anyone, regardless of wealth or status.

Meghan McCain and her family have already dealt with cancer before. Her father, the late Senator John McCain, died from brain cancer in August 2018. "It's a really, really scary cancer. My family is no different than any other family who has experience with cancer," McCain once said on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" (via People.) Meghan McCain's relationship with her father was very close, which was why she dedicated a lot of her time trying to help John make a full recovery.

While remarking on her dad's progress, however, McCain confided that cancer was on her mind all the time as a result. "It's the first thing I think about every morning. I think about it all day long. I think about it at night," she told Sirius XM. It's easy to wonder if McCain will be thinking about cancer even more now after her most recent scare.