Katie Couric is embracing the joys ofagingandbeing a grandmother. She just wishes her late husband, Jay Monahan, could be around to experience it, too.
"He missed seeing his daughters grow up. He missed watching Ellie get married. He missed seeing Carrie, you know, be Phi Beta Kappa at Stanford. He'd be so proud of both of them," Couric told USA TODAY. "I think when you lose somebody like that, it makes you so grateful to be at every chapter of your life, that you actually have multiple chapters to appreciate and enjoy."
Couric was hosting the "Today" show in 1998 whenMonahan died at age 42. The whole country mourned her loss and grieved for her two young daughters, Ellie and Carrie, who were just 6 and 2 at the time.
All these years later, Couric continues to advocate for early colorectal cancer screenings − if not bytelevising her own colonoscopy, like she did on the "Today" show in 2000, then by attending events like theCologuard Classic PGA TOUR Championstournament for colon cancer awareness in Tucson, Arizona − so other young people don't go through the same grief her family endured.
"We're seeing people in their early 40s, in their 30s andeven their 20sbeing diagnosed with this disease," Couric said. "It's absolutely critical that at the first sign of any symptom, people go see their doctor and bring up or question whether it could be colorectal cancer."
Colorectal canceris the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths overall and thedeadliest cancer among those under 50, according to theAmerican Cancer Society. ActorJames Van Der Beekis the most recent celebrity to die of the disease, putting colon cancer in the spotlight yet again. It's preventable, but symptoms − like bloating, unexplained weight loss, fatigue and bloody stools − often go unnoticed. That's why it's so crucial to get screened early, Couric said. In recent years, the American Cancer Society lowered therecommended ageto start regular screening for colorectal cancer to 45, but individuals with a family history of the disease can get screened even earlier. Couric's daughters are getting screened in their early 30s, Couric said.
More:She thought it was a stomachache. It was Stage 3 rectal cancer at 26.
"It's devastating, the heartbreak of having someone you know and love get diagnosed with this disease when their whole life is in front of them," Couric said.
Katie Couric's 'biggest regret' while caregiving for her sick husband
Looking back on her time as acaregiver, Couric said she was in such shock that she didn't properly prepare for life without her husband.
"My biggest regret, I think, was that I never really talked to my husband about the possibility that he might die, quite frankly. We never had thosehard conversations," she said, adding how jarring the diagnosis was for both of them. "I wish we had gone to talk to somebody who could have helped facilitate that kind of conversation, honestly, because the only way I knew to deal with Jay's illness was to not give up hope and keep saying, 'We'll figure this out.'"
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Hope is important, Couric said, and can keep people going "under the worst circumstances imaginable." At the same time, she said, living in denial of the likelihood that someone might not recover can keep families from planning for what's next.
"There are a lot of things I never talked to Jay about because I couldn't deal with bringing up the possibility that he wouldn't be around," she said. "As a caregiver, that's probably my biggest regret."
She also emphasized the importance of caregivers taking care of themselves to avoid burnout while caring for everyone else in their lives.
"You need to accept help, ask for help," Couric said. "You need to have arespitefor your own physical and mental health. I tried to do that during the course of Jay's illness. I felt guilty at times, but I knew that I was going to explode if I didn't do that."
There is 'a lot to not like about aging,' Katie Couric says. But she's grateful.
Couricremarried in 2014, to financier John Molner, just as her daughters left home and she entered herempty nesterera. Twelve years later, she said transitioning from the chaos of mothering young kids and teenagers to the quiet life of an empty nester was difficult.
"You no longer have the same rhythm of your life. When you have kids, it was very important for me to make sure we ate dinner together. You have these responsibilities and school, and all these things give your life a certain rhythm," Couric said. "And when those things, when they're not there anymore, you have to adjust to not only the quiet, but a different rhythm of life."
Now, Couric is getting ready to welcome her second grandchild. She used to cringe at the thought of aging − and there's still "a lot to not like about aging, to be honest," she said. But she's also grateful − wrinkles, stiff joints and all. "I'm so lucky to be here," she said.
"I hope I'm there for a long time for my grandchildren," she said. "And it's so fun to be able to experience a little kid and to see the world through his eyes and to watch my daughter become a mother."
Madeline Mitchell's role covering women and the caregiving economy at USA TODAY is supported by a partnership withPivotalandJournalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input.
Reach Madeline atmemitchell@usatoday.comand@maddiemitch_on X.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Katie Couric on aging, being a grandma and early cancer screenings
