Baywatch Alum Nicole Eggert, 51, Diagnosed with Breast Cancer: 'This Journey's Been Rough' (Exclusive)

Nicole Eggert has been diagnosed with breast cancer, she tells PEOPLE exclusively.

The former Charles in Charge star, 51, revealed that she was diagnosed with stage 2 cribriform carcinoma breast cancer in early December 2023. The actress recalls gaining 25 lbs. in three months and having “terrible pain” in her left breast in October. 

Initially assuming they were symptoms of menopause, she called her doctor after feeling a lump during a self-exam.

“It really was throbbing and hurting,” she tells PEOPLE. “I immediately went to my general practitioner and she told me I had to immediately go get it looked at. But the problem was I just couldn't get an appointment. Everything was booked. So I had to wait until the end of November to get it done.”

Following a discovery mammogram and three biopsies, Eggert’s pathology reports came back positive for cancer.

“This journey's been rough for me. This hasn't been a breezy sale through life,” she admits, noting that she’s been trying to stay positive. “I always read inspirational quotes and corny stuff, but it gets me through.”

The Baywatch alum will need surgery to remove the cancer and says she’s now waiting for her oncologist to determine when chemotherapy and radiation will start. She also says she currently doesn’t know if the cancer has spread to other parts of her body.

“I can definitely feel it,” she says of the lump in her breast. “It's there. It needs to be taken out. So it's just a matter of do I have to do treatment before the surgery or can they perform the surgery and then I do the treatment after.”

“I have panics where I'm like, just get this out of me,” she adds. “You sit there and it's in you and you're like, every second that passes and it's inside of me. It's growing, and you're just like, you just want it out.”

Eggert — whose father battled skin cancer and mother battled colon cancer —  says her “biggest fear” is not being there for her children, daughters Keegan, 12, and Dilyn, 25. 

“[Dilyn’s] an adult, but I have a 12-year-old at home where I'm the only caregiver. I have no family. I have nothing,” she says, reflecting on “the horror” on Keegan’s face when she told her about her diagnosis. “It immediately made me realize, there's just no succumbing to this. This is something I have to get through. This is something that I have to beat. She needs me more than anything and anybody.”

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Following her diagnosis, one of Eggert's friends, Mindy Molinary, created a GoFundMe page on her behalf in order to financially support her upcoming health battle. The actress tells PEOPLE that being a single mother has “not been an easy road” financially.

“My fear is that my everyday hustle, everything that I do to keep everything going is going to come to a screeching halt when I'm not feeling well or I'm sick or I'm in the hospital or whatever is going on,” she says. “It's just so overwhelming, and I'm just doing everything I can not to spiral. At night when I lay down, I panic because I'm like, well, who's going to cover all the bills? Who's going to do all of this?”

Eggert added that she’s “really appreciative” of her friend’s help creating the fundraiser and after her recovery, she plans to create a non-profit organization to help others going through similar situations.

“I absolutely 100% want to start a non-profit for other single parents such as myself, who don't have any family, don't have anybody to turn to,” she shares. “They take on all this by themselves because they love their kids so much, but when something happens to them, then what?” 

“I've gotten such an outpouring of love and it makes you feel so good. It changes your whole day and other people just don't have that,” Eggert continues. “So I really want to figure out a way to give back to other parents that are in my situation that aren't as fortunate.”

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the United States, except for skin cancers. According to the National Cancer Institute, early detection through mammograms allows patients to get a head start on treatment, and can decrease the likelihood of it spreading.

The American Cancer Society suggests that women should start thinking about getting annual mammograms when they turn 40, and that by the time they're 45 they should be getting them done yearly.

Health officials also advise women of all ages to practice "breast self-awareness," which means becoming familiar with how a person's own breasts normally look and feel, so they will be more likely to recognize anything out of the ordinary when doing a breast self-examination.