CNN anchor Sara Sidner revealed on Monday that she is presently undergoing treatment for stage 3 breast cancer.
During an emotional segment of "CNN News Central," co-hosted by 51-year-old Sara Sidner, she disclosed her diagnosis. Sidner informed viewers that she is currently in her second month of chemotherapy and will soon undergo radiation therapy and a double mastectomy.
"I have never been sick a day of my life. I don't smoke, I rarely drink," Sidner said. "Breast cancer does not run in my family. And yet, here I am with stage 3 breast cancer. It is hard to say out loud."
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Sidner expressed optimism about her treatment, emphasizing that stage 3 breast cancer "is not a death sentence anymore for most women."
According to an exclusive interview with the anchor by People magazine, while covering the Israel-Hamas war in October, doctors advised Sara Sidner that she would require a biopsy upon her return to the U.S. This recommendation came after concerns were raised due to abnormalities detected in her mammogram.
"Seeing the kind of suffering going on, where I was and seeing people still live through the worst thing that has ever happened to them with grace and kindness, I was blown away by their resilience," Sidner told People. "In some weird way, it helped me with my own perspective on what I am going to be facing."
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In her on-air announcement, Sidner took the opportunity to urge women, particularly Black women, who face a 40 percent higher risk of breast cancer-related mortality compared to White women, to undergo regular screenings.
"So to all my sisters, Black and White and Brown out there, please, for the love of God, get your mammograms every single year," she said. "Do your self-exams, try to catch it before I did."
Sidner expressed unexpected gratitude for her diagnosis, highlighting how it has altered her perspective on life.
"I have thanked cancer for choosing me," she said, holding back tears. "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."
