Sandra Lee tweets that says breast cancer surgery postponed

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Food Network television star Sandra Lee said her surgery for breast cancer has been postponed until next week because of an upper respiratory infection.

She said in a Twitter message Wednesday that her doctors decided it would be best to delay the double mastectomy until early next week. The procedure had been scheduled for Thursday.

The 48-year-old lifestyle guru and live-in girlfriend of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo shared her diagnosis on ABC's "Good Morning America" in an interview aired Tuesday.

In her message Wednesday, Lee thanked those who offered prayers and messages of support.

Cuomo plans to take some personal time to be with Lee following the procedure. She and Cuomo share a home in Westchester County.

"It was March 27 and I was shooting People's Most Beautiful," said Lee while talking to Robin Roberts Tuesday. "And I walked off the set, and 20 minutes later, my doctor called and told me I had breast cancer."

Lee said she had a lumpectomy and that her doctors caught it early. She is preparing for a second surgery.

The interview was recorded on Friday but aired on "GMA" Tuesday.

"There's 2 ways cancer beats you up," she said. "Beats up your body, and it beats you up emotionally. And I wasn't going to let it rob me from one day of happiness."

She opened up to Robin Roberts about her recent diagnosis and how she and Cuomo - have come to terms with it.

"I think he was as stunned as I was," she said. "He's been extremely supportive. He'll be in the operating room with me."

Her diagnosis -- ductal carcinoma in situ, or DCIS -- is the earliest stage of breast cancer and is extremely treatable with lumpectomy and radiation or mastectomy.

"There are lots of different treatment options when you receive a diagnosis of DCIS," Dr. Richard Besser said. "It's very important that women discuss all the options with their doctor, and may want to get a second opinion."

Then came a painful decision process.

"When the lumpectomy was done, they did not have clean margins," she said. "I went back to the radiologist, and she said 'You're going to have to have six to eight weeks of radiation...we suggest you have a mastectomy.' And so I said, if I'm going to have a mastectomy, am I supposed to just get one done? The radiologist and the doctor said 'You're a ticking time bomb.' They both said, 'I would just get them both done.'"

Lee is opting for a bilateral mastectomy, and she's also weighing in strongly in the debate over mammogram guidelines.

"They recommend that women don't even have their first mammograms until they're 50," she said. "If I would've waited, I probably wouldn't be sitting here."

The mammogram debate is a fierce one lately, with the American Cancer Society still advising women to have their mammograms beginning at age 40. But other groups are suggesting age 50.

"For someone without a history, the recommendation is to start at age 50," Dr. Besser said. "And the reason for that is because you are going to diagnose many things that would've never caused problems."

But Cuomo is very clear on where he stands, perhaps not politically, but certainly personally.

"From a government point of view, there's a range of discussion on when mammograms should happen," he said. "Insurance companies have an opinion, doctors have an opinion, and there's a whole range. But as a human being and as a New Yorker, early detection matters. I believe early detection could very well have saved Sandy's life."

Cuomo's office released a statement saying he was "devastated" by the news.

"After the news what followed was a blizzard of doctors visits, tests and discussions of treatment options," it read. "Sandy is young for her diagnosis, she has no family history, she is healthy and had no symptoms or signals that she was in danger. She has been diligent about going for check-ups and thankfully this was detected in the early stages."

Lee told GMA that her goal is to have the surgery and recover, and then make sure that her siblings and nieces are screened.

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement that he and his wife, Chirlane, were keeping the governor and Lee "in our thoughts at this difficult time."

"It takes enormous courage to face a diagnosis like this, and still more to share it in the hopes of helping others. It's a testament to her strength and compassion that she has stepped forward, and we admire her deeply for it. We know their family is strong, and that Sandy will have the all the love, support and good humor she could need in this moment," the statement said.