For Dance Moms' Kelly Hyland, it was a series of compliments that initially set off internal alarm bells. 

"The first red flag was my significant weight loss," the reality TV alum told E! News in an exclusive interview. "I lost enough that others noticed and would ask for my dieting hacks, but there was nothing I had changed in my day-to-day to cause the loss." 

So when she found a lump in her breast in late March, the mom of three leapt into action. 

"I booked myself a mammogram," the 53-year-old shared, emphasizing the importance of at-home self-examinations. "I had just had one done eight months prior and the results came back clean. However, this new mammogram and sonogram did not, it came back showing a mass." 

A biopsy confirmed her worst fears—"It was malignant"—and subsequent testing revealed even more terrifying news. Her official diagnosis: She had invasive carcinoma grade 3, meaning that her breast cancer is very fast-moving. 

"I went from clean results to a malignant mass in eight months," she outlined of getting the news weeks after finding the lump. "I was shocked that it had grown that quickly and scared of the battle I knew I was about to face."

So she enlisted a few soldiers to join her in the trenches. 

With her and ex-husband Randy Hyland's kids—fellow Dance Mom veterans Brooke Hyland, 26, and Paige Hyland, 23, and son Josh Hyland, 24—more than 1,000 miles away in Pittsburgh, "I would've liked to have told them in person," acknowledged the Florida resident, "but a phone call was the best I could do given the circumstances. I did a four-way call with all of my kids because I wanted to tell them at the same time and make sure they were all given the same information." 

As you might imagine, she continued, it "was a very hard conversation for all of us."

Paige sensed just how tough the chat might be the moment her mom asked them to hop on a call.

"I had an instant gut feeling something was off," she told E! News. "As soon as she told us the bad news, I felt like I was in shock and then quickly hit with a whirlwind of emotions. Not only was I scared, I was angry, sad, and confused why this would happen to someone as amazing as my mother."

The prevailing feeling, however, was fear as she remembered all the trauma that came with watching her maternal grandmother endure her own cancer battle. 

"We lost my Nana to cancer in 2019," Paige explained, "so I understood the long road we had ahead of us and it pained me to imagine my mother having to endure that same feeling."

In that regard, she and Brooke were in lockstep.

"We watched my Nana battle cancer for years so I knew that we were at the start of a very long and challenging road," echoed Brooke. "I hated that I had to watch another important person in my life go through it."

Josh, however, felt there was reason to believe this journey would come with the desired happy ending. 

Though he was admittedly "speechless and scared" when his mom shared her diagnosis, "I feel very hopeful that it is only at stage one, I feel like she caught it quickly," he said. "I know my mom is strong enough to get through this."

So, yes, he and his sisters are doing their best to save any tears for their pillows. 

Seeing her mother in person went a long way toward assuaging some of Brooke's anxiety. "The second I was reunited with my mom, I was reminded of exactly who she is and my fears began to slip away," explained the travel influencer. "She is the strongest woman I know and I am confident that she will come out on top of this and I will be there every step of the way. She has so much love and support in her corner!"

Among the members of Team Kelly are the other Dance Moms matriarchs. 

"All of my former costars are aware of what is going on," Kelly shared. And in an effort to keep her life "as normal as possible," she's retained her place in the proverbial pyramid, continuing to tape her Dear Dance Mom... podcast with Maddie Ziegler and Kenzie Ziegler's mom Melissa Gisoni, Nia Sioux's mom Holly Frazier and Kendall Vertes' mom Jill Vertes, along with her Back to the Barre podcast with Chloé Lukasiak's mom Christi Lukasiak. 

"They have been extremely supportive and are willing to film around my treatment schedule and how I'm feeling," Kelly said of her longtime colleagues. "I'm very lucky to have such great friends and a flexible job that allows me keep some normalcy during all of this."

She's also grateful to have such a winning squad behind her. 

Well-established in her role as the costume-sewing, prop-procuring, doer-of-all-things dance mom, "The toughest part for me has been accepting help from the people around me," said Kelly. "I am a very independent person and, as a mom, I'm used to being the one taking care of people, not the one being taken care of." 

So even while battling something as serious as cancer, "I hate feeling like I am inconveniencing anyone or being a burden in anyway," she confessed. "However, I am quickly learning I am on a very long and tough road, so I am going to need to learn to accept people's help because I am very lucky to have people that want to take care of me during this time."

That includes older sister and "main care-taker" Carrie Matarazzo. With Kelly currently bunking at Carrie and husband Dom's home while she receives treatments in Pittsburgh, "they have been waiting on me hand and foot," said Kelly, a process that includes accompanying her to all-day appointments. 

Currently on the second of six initial chemotherapy treatments, which will be followed by surgery, radiation and then 11 more treatments, said Kelly, "I have a long journey ahead." Which is why her family refuses to let her fly solo, everyone taking a turn as the official chemotherapy treatment hand-holder. 

"They are very long appointments," Kelly said of the roughly 10-hour sessions. "So I don't want to put that responsibility on just one person." 

And when it came to a recent outing to Pittsburgh's Serenity Wig Salon, she made it a trio.

In the hopes of minimizing hair loss, Kelly has been relying on scalp cooling system Amma during treatments. The cap "cools the scalp to a low temperature so that the blood vessels contract, reducing the blood flow to the hair follicles," she explained. "This limits the amount of chemo drugs to the hair follicles."

But as a plan B, she, Brooke and Paige worked with Serenity's team to customize a wig "and even added some baby hairs for a more realistic look," said Kelly. "Both the salon and my girls being there with me made me feel comfortable and more confident as the thought of losing my hair has been hard for me."

And test-driving wigs hasn't been the only bright spot during this particularly dark stretch. 

On hand for Brooke's May engagement to account manager Brian Thalman in Pittsburgh's Frick Park, "I am beyond happy that she has found her person and am excited for her bridal era," said Kelly. "Planning the wedding is going to be a great distraction—I plan to help with every detail to ensure it turns out to be her dream wedding."

What better way to get through the hours of chemo treatments? "I may not look or feel my best," said Kelly, "but nothing is going to stop me from helping and watching my little girl walk down the aisle." 

Frankly, Paige would expect little else from her personal best woman.

"She's the strongest person I know and is there for the people she cares about without hesitation," she told E!. "As much as I wish I could take away her pain and cure her from this horrible situation, the only thing I had the power to do is be there for her the same way she's been there for me my whole life."

So she and her siblings are fully prepared to return the favor by cheering on their mom at, this, her toughest competition. "This is going to be a long, challenging year," said Paige, "but if anyone can kick cancer's butt, I'm confident it's my mom!"

As Kelly continues the fight of her life, she shared a bit of her experience with E! News. 

Just eight months after getting the all-clear, "I found a lump in my breast and booked myself a mammogram," Dance Moms alum Kelly Hyland revealed in an exclusive interview with E! News. Diagnosed with invasive carcinoma grade 3 this spring, she added, "I was shocked that it had grown that quickly." 

With her kids Brooke Hyland, Josh Hyland and Paige Hyland alternating who accompanies her to chemotherapy appointments, Kelly has a solid team in place. As Josh told E! News, "I know my mom is strong enough to get through this."

Kelly's support system includes not just her three kids with ex-husband Randy Hyland, but their entire Dance Moms family.

Currently taping her podcasts Back to the Barre (with Chloé Lukasiak's mom Christi Lukasiak) and Dear Dance Mom... (with Maddie Ziegler and Kenzie Ziegler's mom Melissa Gisoni, Nia Sioux's mom Holly Frazier and Kendall Vertes' mom Jill Vertes) "all of my former costars are aware of what is going on," Kelly shared. "I’m very lucky to have such great friends and a flexible job that allows me to keep some normalcy during all of this."

Currently on her second of six rounds of chemotherapy, Kelly will follow those treatments with surgery and radiation. "Then 11 more chemotherapy treatments," she shared. "I have a long journey ahead!"

In the hopes of preserving her hair, Kelly has been using scalp cooling system Amma during treatments. The cap "cools the scalp to a low temperature so that the blood vessels contract, reducing the blood flow to the hair follicles," she explained. "This limits the amount of chemo drugs to the hair follicles and reduces hair loss. Let's hope it works!"

Paige and Brooke were on hand for Kelly's appointment at Pittsburgh's Serenity Wig Salon. "Both the salon and my girls being there with me made me feel comfortable and more confident," she explained, "as the thought of losing my hair has been hard for me."

Kelly walked away from her time at Serenity Wig Salon feeling confident in her choice. "They’re customizing the wig I chose to fit my head, coloring and styling it to my liking," she revealed of the winning look, "and even added some baby hairs for a more realistic look."

Kelly's kids and her sister Carrie Matarazzo are taking turns accompanying her to the treatments, which can last upwards of 10 hours. "They are very long days," Kelly explained, "so I don’t want to put that responsibility on just one person."

"My children get me through the hard moments," Kelly said. And they inspire her to keep fighting for their shared future.

"I keep telling myself that I need to be strong for them," she explained. "I want to get healthy and onto the other side of this, so I can be there with my kids on their wedding days, to hold their children, and for every next step in their lives."

Brooke's May engagement to account manager Brian Thalman has proven to be "a great distraction," said Kelly, who's all in on wedding planning.

"I couldn’t be prouder of my daughters and my son," she added. "Despite all of the craziness that they have experienced throughout their childhood, they’ve all grown into mature, humble, fun-loving adults. They’re the best kids I could ask for and I’m beyond grateful to have them in my corner during all of this and beyond!"