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.