Sandra Lee, celebrity chef and longtime girlfriend of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, underwent a double mastectomy to treat her breast cancer at a New York City hospital.
Lee checked into the hospital early Tuesday morning with Cuomo by her side. She emerged from the five-hour procedure in the early afternoon, doing "as well as can be expected." Cuomo confirmed in a statement that Lee's surgery began at about 8:00 a.m. and finished shortly before 1:00 p.m., according to the NY Daily News.
"I am happy to report that she is doing well as can be expected and has begun the post-surgery recovery process," Cuomo said in a statement. "On behalf of Sandy and myself, I want to thank everyone for their kind thoughts and prayers over the last few days. Your support has meant the world to us."
The couple also shared a photo a few moments before the surgery on Facebook.
What a day. Thank you so much to the doctors, nurses and technicians, and for all of your kind notes. Your stories of...
Posted by Sandra Lee on Tuesday, May 19, 2015
The Food Network, Lee's employer, wished a speedy recovery for the chef, and issued a separate statement saying: "Sandra is one of the strongest women we know, a real fighter, and our thoughts go out to her and her family during this very trying time."
Cuomo has said that he will take "some personal time" to assist with Lee's recovery, according to the NY Times. However, he still continued to lobby his agenda, which included a series of events on Sunday to promote an idea to grant tax credits to families of students at private schools.
