CNN Anchor Sara Sidner Emotionally Reveals Stage 3 Breast Cancer Diagnosis
David Craig CNN's Sara Sidner shared some heartbreaking news about her health.
On Monday, Sidner closed CNN News Central by announcing that she has been diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer.
Sidner began by telling viewers to think of the names of eight women that they know and love, and shared that one out of the eight women would be diagnosed with the disease in their lifetime.
"I am that one in eight in my friend group," she began.
"I have never been sick a day in my life. I don't smoke. I rarely drink. Breast cancer does not run in my family," she said with a tremble in her voice. "And yet here I am with stage 3 breast cancer. It is hard to say out loud."
Sidner fought back tears as she shared that she is in her second month of chemotherapy, and plans to have radiation and a double mastectomy.
The veteran journalist went on to add that stage 3 is no longer a death sentence, but had to share the shocking statistic that she discovered during her diagnosis.
"Stage 3 is not a death sentence anymore for the vast majority of women, but here is the reality that really shocked my system when I started to research more about breast cancer, something I never knew before this diagnosis," she said.
"If you happen to be a Black woman, you are 41 percent more likely to die from breast cancer than your white counterparts. Forty-one percent. So to all my sisters, Black and white and brown out there, please for the love of God get your mammogram every single year. Do your self-exams. Try to catch it before I did," she added.
The 51-year-old reporter ended her message by sharing the unexpected part of her cancer.
"Now here is something I could never, ever have predicted would happen to me," she said as she began to cry. "I have thanked cancer for choosing me. I'm learning that no matter what hell we go through in life, that I am still madly in love with this life and just being alive feels really different for me now."
She continued, "I am happier because I don't stress about foolish little things that used to annoy me. And now every single day that I breathe another breath, I can celebrate that I am still here with you, I am here with my co-anchors, my colleagues, my family and I can love and cry and laugh and hope. And that, my dear friends, is enough."
Sidner also spoke with People about her diagnosis and revealed that she got the diagnosis after a mammogram raised concern, after previously finding a lump. After getting a biopsy, the diagnosis became a reality.
While she shared this piece of private information to inspire and encourage women to be on top of their health, Sidner also said that it would be hard to hide, as she is losing her hair due to the chemotherapy.
"The bald truth is my hair's coming out," she told the outlet, noting that the online community would point out any differences in her appearance. "If I'm having a bad hair day, I know about it. If I'm having a good hair day, I also know about that."
Despite her diagnosis, Sidner revealed that she is finding the beauty and joy in life -- because it's too short.
"I'm living and I'm loving living because I know it can be short," Sidner said. "I don't know how this is going to end ... [but] we have the ability to feel joy at any point as long as we're breathing."
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