Charlotte Foster
Caring

"It is hard to say": News anchor announces health news during broadcast

A US news anchor has teared up during a live broadcast as she shared the news of her cancer diagnosis. 

Sara Sidner, a host of the CNN News Central program, announced with her loyal viewers that she was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer, and is currently undergoing radiation treatment. 

The 51-year-old news presenter shared she is in her second month of chemotherapy, as she is preparing to undergo a double mastectomy.

At the end of the news broadcast, Sidner told viewers, "I don't smoke, I rarely drink, 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."

She went on to say she was feeling positive about the future of her illness, saying stage 3 breast cancer "is not a death sentence anymore for most women."

Sidner became emotional as she urged women to conduct self-exams and to not skip their routine mammograms. 

"Try to catch it, before I did. I have thanked cancer for choosing me," she said, as her voice broke.

"I am learning that no matter what 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... I don't stress about foolish little things."

In October, Sidner traveled to Israel to cover the ongoing war with Hamas when she was told she would need to undergo a biopsy upon her return to the US. 

After her diagnosis was confirmed, she told People magazine that she has found strength in the devastating stories she was told by those facing the reality of war. 

"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."

Image credits: CNN

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caring, health, Sara Sidner, breast cancer, news