Moment Iowa news anchor, 28, breaks down as she reveals her breast cancer diagnosis live on air
A local television news anchor has bravely revealed that she has breast cancer live on air.
Today, Iowa anchor Calyn Thompson burst into tears as she announced the diagnosis — just months after she did a segment on mammograms for breast cancer awareness month.
“I didn’t know that interview would be the start of my own journey,” Thompson, who was diagnosed two weeks after she turned 28, told WHO 13 News viewers Wednesday morning.
She got emotional when she told viewers that there were days when she “didn’t feel like getting up,” but she felt compelled to open up in hopes of helping others.
“If I can help just one person, it’s worth it,” she told her TV audience.
Calyn Thompson, who is only 28 years old, burst into tears when she announced the diagnosis
Last October, Thompson did a segment for the show reminding viewers to stay up to date on mammograms — an X-ray used to spot early signs of breast cancer.
Wednesday morning, her announcement began with an excerpt from the segment, before turning to Thompson in the studio.
She said, “Every day you welcome us into your home so we can share other people’s stories.
“Rarely are we the ones the story is about, but I wanted to share with you something personal that takes place in my life.”
She got emotional and said, “I was diagnosed with breast cancer last November.
“My medical team is convinced that it is treatable and curable, and I have every confidence in my medical team.”
She paused, apologized to viewers and said, “Sorry, I didn’t think I was going to get emotional.”
Thompson told viewers she has had chemotherapy and will have surgery later this month
Thompson (right) did a segment on mammograms for breast cancer awareness month in 2022
Thompson hosts Today in Iowa on WHO 13 News alongside Megan Salois and Justin Surrency
She continued, “I’ve been through six rounds of chemotherapy and it feels so good to have that hurdle behind me.
“It was a shock when I found out I had breast cancer. And it honestly took me several weeks to process it.’
She told viewers that she hoped that by sharing her own story and using her platform to spread awareness, she could help “just one person” and it would be “worth it.”
She went into tears and told the public she was diagnosed two weeks after she turned 28.
‘I learned that cancer does not discriminate; not with age or occupation, it can happen to anyone,” she said.
‘Don’t postpone preventive examinations. And if something doesn’t feel right like it does with me, please get it checked out by your doctor. Early detection saves lives.’
She told viewers that she also shared her story as a form of thanks.
“Helping you start your day every morning is a responsibility I don’t take lightly, and you don’t know how much you’ve helped me over the past five months,” Thompson continued.
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she said, “There were mornings when I didn’t feel like getting up and going, but you helped me find the strength to come here and deliver the news.
“Coming to work every day was the sense of normalcy and purpose I needed to get through this medical journey.”
Thompson thanked her colleagues and her viewers for helping her face her cancer diagnosis
Thompson (pictured with weather reporter Gabe Prough) was diagnosed in November 2022
The graph above shows the changes in breast cancer screenings (black line) per month since 2017. It also shows a predicted screening rate (dotted yellow line) and the Covid infection rate (blue line) in the US over the same period. Screenings were initially stable, but dropped by as much as 14 percent in the first year of the pandemic
She also thanked her colleagues for being “supportive, caring and understanding” throughout her journey.
Thompson ended by revealing she would have surgery later this month and take a few weeks off to recover.
Users have taken to social media to send their well wishes to Thompson.
One person told the anchor, “You made me cry with you this morning. I will pray for you. You are all like family to your viewers because you are in our home every day. I know you will fight and win this battle.’
Another said, ‘I’m going through the same thing right now! We’ll get through this,” while another user wrote, “I can’t imagine how hard it’s been to get up early and do your job while feeling so sick. You are so strong!’.
Each year, approximately 264,000 breast cancers are diagnosed in women in the US.
Guidelines currently state that women ages 50 to 74 should be screened for breast cancer every two years.
Those in their 40s who are concerned should make an individual decision with their doctor.
A study published in February warned that tens of thousands of Americans have missed breast and lung cancer screenings in the two years since the start of the Covid pandemic.
University of Texas researchers looked at data from 5.3 million screenings recorded annually in the three years before Covid to establish a baseline and compared it to those performed in 2020 to 2022.
They found that there were up to 14 percent fewer breast cancer screenings during the pandemic.
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world, affecting more than two MILLION women each year
Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. Each year there are more than 55,000 new cases in the UK and the disease claims the lives of 11,500 women. In the US, it affects 266,000 people and kills 40,000 each year. But what causes it and how can it be treated?
What is breast cancer?
Breast cancer arises from a cancer cell that develops in the lining of a duct or lobule in one of the breasts.
When the breast cancer has spread to the surrounding breast tissue, it is called an ‘invasive’ breast cancer. Some people are diagnosed with “carcinoma in situ,” where no cancer cells have grown beyond the duct or lobule.
Most cases develop in women over the age of 50, but younger women are sometimes affected. Breast cancer can develop in men, although this is rare.
Staging means how big the cancer is and whether it has spread. Stage 1 is the earliest stage and stage 4 means the cancer has spread to another part of the body.
The cancer cells are graded from low, which means slow growth, to high, which means fast growth. High-grade cancers are more likely to come back after being treated first.
What Causes Breast Cancer?
A cancerous tumor starts with one abnormal cell. The exact reason why a cell becomes cancerous is unclear. Something is thought to damage or alter certain genes in the cell. This makes the cell abnormal and multiply ‘out of control’.
Although breast cancer can develop for no apparent reason, there are some risk factors that can increase the chance of developing breast cancer, such as heredity.
What Are the Symptoms of Breast Cancer?
The usual first symptom is a painless breast lump, although most breast lumps are not cancerous and are fluid-filled cysts, which are benign.
The first place where breast cancer usually spreads is the lymph nodes in the armpit. When this happens, you get a swelling or lump in an armpit.
How is breast cancer diagnosed?
- Initial assessment: A doctor examines the breasts and armpits. They may perform tests such as a mammogram, a special X-ray of the breast tissue that can indicate the possibility of tumors.
- Biopsy: A biopsy is when a small sample of tissue is removed from an area of the body. The sample is then examined under the microscope to look for abnormal cells. The sample can confirm or rule out cancer.
If you are confirmed to have breast cancer, further tests may be needed to assess whether it has spread.
For example, blood tests, an ultrasound of the liver or a chest x-ray.
How is breast cancer treated?
Treatment options that may be considered include surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and hormone treatment. Often a combination of two or more of these treatments is used.
- Surgery: Breast-conserving surgery or removing the affected breast, depending on the size of the tumor.
- Radiotherapy: A treatment that uses high-energy beams of radiation aimed at cancerous tissue. This kills cancer cells or stops cancer cells from multiplying. It is mainly used in addition to surgery.
- Chemotherapy: A treatment for cancer using anticancer drugs that kill cancer cells or prevent them from multiplying
- Hormone treatments: Some types of breast cancer are affected by the ‘female’ hormone estrogen, which can stimulate the cancer cells to divide and multiply. Treatments that lower the level of these hormones or prevent them from working are commonly used in people with breast cancer.
How successful is the treatment?
The outlook is best in those who are diagnosed when the cancer is still small and has not spread. Surgical removal of a tumor at an early stage can then give a good chance of a cure.
Routine mammography offered to women between the ages of 50 and 70 means that more breast cancers are diagnosed and treated at an early stage.
For more information visit breastcancernow.org or call the toll-free helpline on 0808 800 6000