Danielle Fishel’s Breast Cancer Inspired ‘DWTS’ Run (Exclusive)

Danielle Fishel said she decided to join the cast of Dancing with the Stars season 34 after undergoing treatment for breast cancer.

”The minute I was done with my cancer treatment, I thought to myself, ‘If this has shown me anything, it has shown me that I am not experiencing enough joy in my life,’ ” the Boy Meets World alum, 44, told PEOPLE exclusively.

Fishel, who is paired with pro Pasha Pashkov for the ABC hit, continued, ”I’m going through every day, performing tasks and being there for my family and being there for work. Where’s the fun?”

“When they asked me to do this, I was like, ‘This is the perfect way to cap it off,’ “ she explained.

Fishel was diagnosed with an early form of breast cancer called ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), which she shared on her podcast, Pod Meets World, last August.

Treatment included a lumpectomy in August and a margin revision surgery in September, she told PEOPLE. Fishel shared that she initially considered a double mastectomy, but doctors said that because the disease was caught so early, a lumpectomy was the best route “to get back to my normal life as quickly as possible.”

“I was feeling healthy, I was looking healthy. But I went in for my mammogram and they said it looked suspicious and the results are abnormal,” she told PEOPLE about how her cancer was found. “I was not expecting in any way that it was going to find anything. It was really shocking.”

Fishel also underwent 20 rounds of radiation, explaining that it “hurt to be awake” after it left her with a “bad sunburn” and a rash.

After treatment, Fishel said her mantra was “saying yes to this year” — and as she tells PEOPLE, joining DWTS “was just the fastest” she’s ever said “yes.”

Also competing for the Len Goodman Mirrorball Trophy this season are: Olympic gymnast and gold medalist Jordan Chiles with partner Ezra Sosa, The Traitors and social media star Dylan Efron with pro Daniella Karagach, and Pentatonix singer Scott Hoying with Rylee Arnold, The Parent Trap actress Elaine Hendrix with Alan Bersten, NBA All-Star Baron Davis with partner Britt Stewart, actor and musician Corey Feldman with pro Jenna Johnson, Fifth Harmony singer Lauren Jauregui with partner Brandon Armstrong, and comedian Andy Richter with pro Emma Slater.

Season 34 of Dancing with the Stars premieres Sept. 16, on ABC. The episodes will air Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET and PT and will be available for streaming the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.

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