CNN's Sarah Sidner reveals she has stage 3 breast cancer

CNN anchor Sarah Sidner has been diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer.

“As we wrap up our broadcast today, I have a personal note I would like to share with you,” the 51-year-old journalist told CNN News Central on Monday morning.

She asked viewers to think of eight women they know.

“Statistically, one of them has or will get breast cancer. I'm one in eight in my group of friends. I've never been sick in my life. I don't smoke, and I rarely drink. Breast cancer doesn't run in my family. And yet, here I am with breast cancer in “Stage 3. It's hard to say that out loud.”

Sidner said she was in her second month of chemotherapy and planned to undergo radiation and a double mastectomy.

She added: “The third stage is no longer a death sentence for the vast majority of women.”

She went on to share a statistic that she said shocked her.

“If you are a black woman, you are 41 percent more likely to die of breast cancer than your white counterparts,” she said. “So to all my sisters, black, white and brown, please, for the love of God, get a mammogram every year. Get your self-exams. Try to catch it.”

At that point, Sidner choked up as she shared, “I thanked cancer for choosing me.”

“I'm learning that no matter what hell we go through in life, I still love this life like crazy and just being alive feels really different to me now,” she said through tears. “I'm happier because I don't focus on the stupid little things that used to bother me. And now every day I take another breath, I can celebrate that I'm still here with you.

in Interview with peopleSidner, who also serves as a senior national correspondent for CNN, said she learned that the mammogram had raised concerns in October, before she traveled to Israel to report on its war with Hamas.

She spent three weeks in the war zone before returning to New York for a biopsy. She confirmed that the mass she noticed months ago was cancerous.

Breast cancer is the second most common type of cancer among women in the United States, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The average age at diagnosis is 62 years American Cancer Society reports. Black women are more likely to die from breast cancer than all other women.

Many women with breast cancer have no symptoms in the early stages, which is why experts are urging people to do so Undergo regular examination.