Former child star reveals breast cancer diagnosis

theGRIO REPORT - Dr. Danielle Spencer used to play Dee, the bratty little sister in What's Happening!!, a late-70s era sitcom. Now, she works as a veterinarian. When she's not treating animals, she has her own treatment to worry about — last month, she received a breast cancer diagnosis...

TheGrio Staff

Oct 23, 2014

We all had younger siblings like “Dee” from the late 70s sitcom What’s Happening!!

Danielle Spencer, who made the role famous, revealed this week to Black America Web she was recently diagnosed with breast cancer.

Spencer has been practicing veterinary medicine for more than 20 years and is a published author. She tells Black America Web’s Tonya Pendleton her treatment plan is still up in the air:

Surgery is definitely one of the options. I’m trying to get as many opinions as possible but it does look that that is what I’m going to do. Hopefully after that there won’t be any chemotherapy or radiation.

Spencer received a degree in veterinary science from Tuskegee University and tells Jet Magazine she wanted to treat animals since the age of five. Her book, Through the Fire: Journal of a Child Star, was published in 2011.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.