Hallmark director and actress Yan-Kay Crystal Lowe has been diagnosed with stage III breast cancer.
“In February of 2025, while getting ready one morning, I noticed a large mass in my right breast. In that moment, everything else fell away,” Lowe, 44, wrote in a People essay published on Friday, October 10. “At first, I thought I had sprained a muscle while working out. To be safe, I immediately went to my doctor who ordered a mammogram and guided ultrasound, but found nothing.”
Months later, Lowe returned to her physician after the now-10-centimeter mass still appeared on her breast, though it was “changing in size and placement.”
“I was rushed for a blind biopsy. After what felt like an eternity, the doctor gently placed his hand on my arm and said, ‘Honey, I can’t be sure, but this feels like cancer,’” Lowe, who stars in Hallmark’s Signed, Sealed, Delivered franchise, recalled. “Three days later, my G.P. called to say I had invasive carcinoma in one of the ducts. I still remember getting off the phone, curling up into a ball, and just bawling.”
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Lowe subsequently underwent a round of chemotherapy to help shrink the tumor before looking into the possibility of surgery to remove the mass altogether.
“This journey has been scary, strange, and humbling. It has stripped me down in ways I never saw coming, physically, emotionally and spiritually,” Lowe said. “And yet, I promise to persevere. To turn poison into medicine. To grow. That’s what I’m learning every single day.”
She continued, “If you’re walking a hard road too, just know, you’re not alone. We may not get to choose what happens to us, but we do get to choose how we meet it. And I’m meeting it — with my sword raised, my heart open, and taking it one step at a time.”
Throughout this trying time, Lowe has been able to rely on her inner circle for support and comfort.
“I am fortunate enough to be surrounded by so much love and support. My husband and family have been my rock,” Lowe wrote of spouse Miko Tomasevich, with whom she shares two children. “And my friends? They’ve wrapped me up like a blanket — visiting, checking in, cleaning my house and creating an incredible meal train that has fed my body and my heart.”
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Lowe also praised her Hollywood colleagues, including fellow Hallmark star Alison Sweeney. (Lowe often directs Sweeney’s popular Hannah Swensen series.)
“Alison Sweeney and Craig Baumgarten have shifted schedules so I may be able to direct the next one when my treatment is complete,” Lowe wrote. “Jeff Schenck with Hybrid Entertainment graciously purchased my wigs, and even offered unlimited transportation to any of my appointments. And Hallmark: Let’s just say I have never been more grateful to be a part of a family that practices the values they preach. I am eternally grateful.”
She continued, “Hollywood often gets a bad rap, but when you work with people who love you, they show up.”
A representative for Hallmark later offered a message of support.
“We at @hallmarkchannel are family and family looks after their people. Crystal, our first Make Her Mark director mentee will continue to direct a movie and episodes for [our] series,” an Instagram statement reads. “She has our full support while she conquers this disease. We hope you … send Crystal good wishes and prayers. We know she’s got this and we’ve got her!”
