Vicki Belo with her hsuband Hayden Kho and their daughter Scarlet. Image: TikTok/@vicki_belo
For the first time, Vicki Belo showed photos of herself from when she was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in 2016, which she described as a “very scary and difficult time” for her.
The celebrity doctor recounted her bout with the disease through a video on her TikTok page on Thursday, Dec. 21.
“I was looking through my phone and these pictures popped up today. These are pictures I’ve never shared before because I never even knew I took pictures of me,” she said while photos of herself, bald, were shown on the screen.
“[2016] is a very scary and difficult time for me because all the doctors wouldn’t give me any assurance that I would get well. They just said they would try their best,” she added. “…[After] the third session of chemotherapy, of course I was bald.”
Belo wore bandanas and wigs in some of her photos, including those with her husband Hayden Kho and their daughter Scarlet. At the time, the wedding of Belo’s eldest daughter, Cristalle Belo-Pitt, was also coming up which prompted the celebrity doctor to expedite her radiation therapy.
Prior to Cristalle’s wedding, Belo had to take two sessions of the treatment daily for two weeks, which made her feel “really sick.”
“Here I am at Cristalle’s wedding, looking terrible,” she said, showing photos from the event. “I remember people were bashing me, [saying] my dress was ugly, that I look bad—I guess they didn’t know what I was going through.”
Belo then underscored that she decided to share her story as she aims to bring hope to those who are fighting against cancer.
“Here I am in 2023, seven years cancer-free. And all I have to tell you is all you have to do really is pray, because our Jesus Christ with a big C is much bigger than the cancer with the small C,” she stated.
@vicki_belo I was never comfortable talking about my cancer but I’m feeling extremely #grateful this holiday season— here’s to 7 years being cancer free ! Thank you God for allowing me to see @Scarlet Snow Belo grow up and giving my grandkids their mamita 🙏🏻 every day feels like a blessing The entire ordeal was one of the most difficult and scary things I’ve ever had to go through . I‘ll forever be grateful for my family for their support of the way and to the amazing doctors who did not give up on me . Most of all I’m grateful for Jesus Christ who held my hand every step of the way ❤️ #cancersurvivor #gratefullness #gratefuleveryday #cancerfree #fyp #foryou #fypシ ♬ Unstoppable (I put my armor on, show you how strong I am) – Sia
Belo first opened up about her 2016 cancer diagnosis through an interview in October 2022. In the interview, Belo recalled how the doctors told her that she only had two years to live.
Belo also said she considers Scarlet as the “No. 1” secret why she was able to soldier on despite the hardships she had been through.