Locked-up reality star Julie Chrisley experienced a cancer scare while in prison, according to her daughter, Savannah Chrisley, who detailed the ordeal on the latest episode of her podcast.
On her Unlocked podcast, Savannah has been sharing journal entries her mom wrote while serving her five-year sentence at FMC Lexington, Kentucky. During Tuesday’s (March 5) episode, Savannah read from a letter where Julie learned she could possibly have a tumor.
“I walked in thinking it was Gynecology. I sat down with the doctor and she proceeds to tell me that my HCG level was high — 10.2,” Savannah read from Julie’s entry. “This is a pregnancy hormone. It should not be that high. If it were a little higher, I would test positive on a pregnancy test. Since that’s not a possibility, it could be a sign of a tumor.”
In the letter, Julie went on to say, “I literally fell apart. How could this be happening? I’m going to have blood work redone and have a scan. I’ve not told anyone. I’m not going to until I know what’s going on. I’m so scared. I just want my husband. I don’t know if I can do this without him.”
Julie and Todd are both serving lengthy prison sentences after being found guilty of bank and tax fraud in 2022. Todd is doing a ten-year stint (reduced from 12) at FPC Pensacola, Florida, while Julie is serving a five-year sentence (reduced from seven) at FMC Lexington, Kentucky.
Savannah continued to read from her mom’s diary entries, where the imprisoned Chrisley Knows Best star shared her mindset as she prepared to undergo further tests.
“This is so scary navigating my health journey all alone,” Julie wrote. “I miss Todd so much.”
An emotional Savannah said reading these letters brought her back to her mom’s 2012 breast cancer diagnosis. Julie underwent a double mastectomy and a hysterectomy and is now in remission.
“To think of her sitting there worrying about, ‘Oh, my God, my cancer may be back,’” Savannah shared. “And something that has stayed so steadfast in every single letter is, ‘I just want my husband. I just want Todd. I miss him.’”
Savannah also touched on one particular line in another letter, which left her heartbroken. The entry detailed how Julie visited the prison’s medical unit for a flu shot and asked for a blood pressure check, which she was allegedly denied.
After the request was turned down, Julie wrote, “I’m worth more to my family dead than I am alive.”
“As her daughter reading these things, first off, mom suffers from high blood pressure really, really bad,” Savannah stated. “All she wanted was her blood pressure checked, and they wouldn’t even do that. And to hear your mother say she’s worth more dead than alive is probably the most heartbreaking thing anyone could ever hear.”
Savannah continued, “I know that my mother has made such an impact on so many people’s lives and that’s worth more than anything else.”
Julie and Todd are currently awaiting an appeal hearing, which was postponed until the week of April 15.
