Clea Shearer Reveals Hoda Kotb’s Inspiring Words About Breast Cancer

Clea Shearer is sharing the comforting message Hoda Kotb gave her at the beginning of her breast cancer journey.

On Tuesday, Sept. 23, the professional organizer and star of Get Organized with The Home Edit made an appearance on Today and spoke to Savannah Guthrie about her lengthy health battle amid the release of her new memoir Cancer Is Complicated.

Shearer, 43, was first diagnosed with stage 2 invasive mammary carcinoma, an aggressive form of breast cancer, in March 2022. She endured months of chemotherapy and radiation and six surgeries, including a double mastectomy and removal of her ovaries.

The Netflix star was declared cancer-free in November 2022 and underwent breast reconstruction surgery two years later.

In November 2024, she celebrated what she believed was her seventh and final surgery. However, in January, she learned that the wound at her incision site had opened all the way to her breast implant, leading to additional surgeries this year.

“I’m still recovering but I’m healthy,” she told Guthrie, 53, before later stressing, “I’m cancer-free and that’s what matters.”

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!

Shearer then pointed out the inspiring words from Kotb — fellow breast cancer survivor — that helped her throughout her breast cancer journey.

Kotb, 61, was diagnosed with breast cancer 18 years ago after discovering a lump. She underwent a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery in March 2007, and has remained cancer-free in the years since.

“Hoda is one of the first people I told about my diagnosis,” Shearer said on Today. “She held my hand tightly and she says, ‘Listen, I know a lot of people who have been diagnosed with breast cancer and the thing we all have in common is we’re still here.’ And I was like, well, Hoda said it! So I’m gonna make it through.”

Shearer recently spoke to PEOPLE about recovering from complications from breast cancer and her breast reconstruction. She explained that she’s on her “last shot” for an implant — and she knows some might wonder why she’d go through such trauma to rebuild her breasts. 

“I have now lived three years with compromised breasts. At this point, I’m not looking to be in a bathing suit competition,” she said. “But for me there’s a real need to put my body back together. It’s an emotional need more than a physical one.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

Whatever happens, because of cancer, “everything in my life has changed,” she told PEOPLE, adding that doctors have told her that there’s a 30% chance her cancer could return.

“I know I will continue to battle this coming back forever,” she said. 

But Shearer said she’s discovered an inner strength: “I didn’t know that I could handle so much.”