Sandra Lee, Governor Andrew Cuomo's long-time girlfriend, was reportedly rushed to the hospital on Tuesday following an emergency related to a double mastectomy. A source told the Daily News that she fears that her pre-existing autoimmune disorder may interfere with her recovery.
The source said that Lee has lupus anticoagulant. It is a condition that puts her at risk of blood clots and the very same reason why the celebrity chef had to take blood thinners on long airplane rides.
The identified problem was fluid build-up, according to New York Daily News. The report further stated that her condition was not immediately known.
It started by just experiencing pain and feeling exhausted. Lee, at the time, knew there was something wrong.
Lee revealed her breast cancer diagnosis in May on "Good Morning America," as per Us Weekly. On May 19, she underwent a double mastectomy surgery because doctors described her condition as a "ticking time bomb," despite only being diagnosed of having cancer in one of her breasts.
She had six to eight weeks of radiation treatment following the surgery, E! News reported.
The recent report from Daily News stated that the doctors are currently looking at a blood infection, but it may take several days. One source said that with cancer, it's the side issue that usually becomes the problem.
The source said that it isn't safe to assume that mastectomy was the reason because the fluid build-up and the feeling of hotness usually indicate an infection. Lee has an autoimmune disease and the source said that this could be due to blood clotting and not the procedure.
Governor Cuomo was the one who reportedly keeps his girlfriend calm. The family of Lee offered to stay with her, but she refused.
"He's very confident and just tells her everything is going to work out," the source said. "She feels affected by him in a way I don't see her affected by anyone else."
