Beyoncé's mom, Tina Knowles, shares her breast cancer battle

Beyoncé and Solange's powerhouse mom, Tina Knowles, is "taking a moment," and it is not to launch a business, write a memoir, or design an entire Destiny's Child tour wardrobe. Last July, everything screeched to a halt when Knowles, 71, was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer. And now, in a rare and raw moment of vulnerability, she's sharing her story with an urgent call to action for women everywhere. Speaking with PEOPLE about their world's most beautiful issue, Tina Knowles opens up for the first time about the diagnosis that shook her world and how it nearly went undetected. "I forgot . . .