BY: Walker
Published 1 month ago
TV personality Ananda Lewis is sharing a major update in her cancer journey.
Lewis, 51, previously shared that she’d been diagnosed with stage III breast cancer in a 2020 Instagram post — saying that she’d refused mammograms for years due to a fear of radiation exposure.
But during a round-table discussion on cancer with CNN’s Stephanie Elam and CNN anchor Sara Sidner — who was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer early this year — Lewis shared that she went against her doctors’ recommendation for a double mastectomy following her diagnosis.
“My plan at first was to get out excessive toxins in my body. I felt like my body is intelligent, I know that to be true. Our bodies are brilliantly made,” Lewis explained.
“I decided to keep my tumor and try to work it out of my body a different way,” she shared. “Looking back on that, I go, ‘You know what? Maybe I should have.’ “
Elam explains in a voice-over that Lewis pursued homeopathic remedies as well as medication and radiation, and better sleep and diet. While she says Lewis improved for awhile, last year the MTV alum discovered her cancer had spread.
“My lymph system really flared up,” Lewis said. “It was the first time I ever had a conversation with death because I felt like: This is how it is.”
“I was just like, ‘Fudge man, I really thought I had this.’ I was frustrated, I was a little angry at myself, and I said, ‘Man, listen. I know you’re coming for me at some point. But I don’t want it to be now. And if you could just wait, I promise when you do come, I’m gonna make it fun for you.’ “
“I literally had that conversation laying in my bed. I couldn’t get out of bed for, like, eight weeks,” she said.
Sidner shared that her diagnosis made her seek more joy in her life, while Lewis reflected on her decision to not pursue the double mastectomy, saying, “My quality of life was very important to me … I want to want to be here. So I had to do it a certain way, for me.”
via: People
You can watch the full conversation below.
