CNN Anchor Zoraida Sambolin Makes Cancer Announcement on Live TV
In the wake of Angelina Jolie's announcement, CNN anchor Zoraida Sambolin has revealed she is currently fighting against breast cancer and will be getting a double mastectomy.
"I have been struggling because I was diagnosed with breast cancer about three weeks ago and I was trying to figure out how do I share this story, how do I tell the viewers that I'm going to be gone for a while, because I have chosen to have a double mastectomy," Sambolin, told co-host John Berman during the broadcast. "Angelina Jolie's story really hit home."
The "Early Start" CNN morning show anchor made her announcement while discussing Jolie's decision to receive a preventive double mastectomy to thwart her 87 percent of developing breast cancer because of a gene she carried, according to the Associated Press.
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The actresses' mother, Marcheline Bertrand, died of breast cancer at a young age and Jolie wanted to make sure she was still around to watch her six children grow up.
In a open editorial written for CNN, the 47-year-old anchor spoke on some of her health past.
"I have a history of fibrocystic breast tissue, which is very dense and complicated to read in a mammogram. For years, I've had biopsies and two years ago, prior to starting at CNN, I had a lumpectomy to remove abnormal tissue that doctors thought was cancer. One doctor said that in my case cancer was a matter of when, not if," she wrote.
Sambolin also addresses her concerns with telling her daughter about her illness and sought the help of a psychologist to properly go about it. Ultimately, her daughter was the key factor in having the operation in the first place reports, The Washington Post.
The anchor wants people to know the decisions they make regarding cancer are serious, writing, "I hope that every woman facing this decision takes the time to understand her options and surrounds herself with the support she needs to get through the difficult times."
"My final words here are thank you -- for the many blessings, thoughts, prayers and even hugs you have sent my way today," she concluded.
