Q&A with Giuliana Rancic: E! News anchor, breast cancer survivor

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month, and the nation is going pink to recognize the challenges facing women with breast cancer and to raise money for research.

Last week in New York City, E! News anchor Giuliana Rancic, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2011 and had a double mastectomy, attended the launch of CureDiva, a shopping website for women facing breast cancer. The site matches a shopping experience with a welcoming community platform for women to learn.

Rancic took some time to answer our questions.

What does Breast Cancer Awareness Month mean to you?

When you get diagnosed with breast cancer, it is the shock of a lifetime. It turns your world upside down. Sharing your story and encouraging other women to get checked is important: you can save lives. Women would come up to me and say, 'Because of you I got a mammogram. Because of you I found my breast cancer early and I'm going to be OK.' It's incredible to have a bigger purpose ... and I encourage everyone to share your story because helping someone else is an amazing feeling.

What gave you the courage to speak out and educate others about breast cancer?

When I was first diagnosed, I had to make the big decision of whether or not to reveal that I had breast cancer. I had every right in the world to keep it personal. Bill (my husband) was the one who pointed out and said, 'You've got such an incredible platform. You can really educate these women and especially since you didn't have a family history it is a way to encourage others that if it can happen to me it can happen to you.' If you have a platform and a microphone and you can reach so many people, to not use that platform, to me, is very selfish. It was the best decision I ever made to go public because I see the effects of it. I have people coming up to me to tell me their stories and how I inspired them to go get checked and give them the extra inspiration they needed.

What's your advice for women who are going through treatment or living with cancer?

The hardest thing to deal with is where to go for information. You can Google information, but sometimes that information isn't the right information for you. Everyone's journey is so different and has different needs throughout their journey. Life works in crazy ways and what's meant to happen will happen. When going through breast cancer treatments, having a great support system is so important. There will be days where you need to talk or need a pick-me-up and having a support system to help you through the hard times makes it easier. Having a support system is extremely important. At two in the morning you may need someone to call. If you know a woman who doesn't have a husband or a boyfriend for a friend, you've got to help them.

How is your life different now than before you were diagnosed?

Rather than being so caught up on eating healthy and working out, I splurge much more than I used to. I still live a healthy lifestyle. Instead of going to the gym five times a week, I go maybe one or two. I still take care of myself and I still live a healthy lifestyle, but I realize now life is short and life is precious. I can't think about the gym every day. I have to be with my husband or my baby because nothing is scarier than thinking you're going to lose them. Life is better now.

Why are sites like CureDiva or supporting breast cancer research in general, important?

When I heard about CureDiva, I was surprised it hadn't been created sooner and wondered why I didn't have this when I was going through breast cancer. Going through treatments, it's so hard to know what products you need and where to go. The great thing about CureDiva is that it specifies to your needs and helps you based on what you're going through at each phase. Now because of CureDiva, women have a more accessible support system, and can still feel like a diva through their treatments. ... Women who have breast cancer have such specific situations. You really need to be able to go to a place where the information is correct and you can get good advice.