Ananda Lewis has revealed that her breast cancer diagnosis has metastasized and is now Stage IV.
Lewis sat down with CNN anchors Sid Sidner and Stephanie Elam who shared their stories to raise awareness during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Lewis, 51, discussed why she chose to forgo common types of breast cancer treatments, like chemotherapy and mastectomies.
“I need to want to be here,” she said. Lewis opted to couple radiation with homeopathic remedies as her course of treatment. “My plan at first was to get excessive toxins out of my body. I felt like my body is intelligent. I know that to be true. I feel like our bodies are brilliantly made. I decided to keep my tumor and work it out of my body a different way.”
Now that the cancer has spread, the former talk show host admits she has had to grapple with disappointment and anger at her choices.
“I was just like, ‘Fudge man, I really thought I had this.’ I was frustrated, I was a little angry at myself.”
Lewis revealed her diagnosis in 2020 in an Instagram post. Her goal was to warn the masses about early detection. She cited the desire to remain radiation-free as the reason for her ignoring mammogram screenings.
Sidner’s story is the opposite. The 52-year-old CNN anchor participated in the suggested screenings, but she detected cancer while conducting a self-exam. “The American Cancer Society does not recommend [self-exams] anymore but to me, if you can tell, you know your body,” she said.
Sidner, who pursued an aggressive regimen to rid her body of the disease, went public with her diagnosis in Jan. 2024 while on the air.
“Breast cancer does not run in my family, and yet here I am with Stage III breast cancer. It is hard to say out loud,” Sidner said. “I am in my second month of chemo treatments and will do radiation and a double mastectomy. Stage III 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: If you happen to be a Black woman, you are 41% more likely to die from breast cancer than your white counterparts.”
Sidner and Lewis shared their stories to inspire women to take advantage of early detection technology. Catching such an aggressive disease can mean the difference between life and death.
The National Breast Cancer Foundation can help locate health facilities that provide mammograms near you.
RELATED CONTENT: What Black Women Should Know On Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day