CNN anchors break down on air sharing final message from late MTV VJ Ananda Lewis

CNN's Sara Sidner and Stephanie Elam are mourning the dying of their buddy Ananda Lewis.

The 2 journalists paid tribute to the late MTV VJ, who died Wednesday following a protracted battle with breast most cancers, throughout a CNN section on Thursday.

"My lovely buddy, mom, sister, and daughter has died after years of dwelling with breast most cancers," Sidner stated earlier than introducing a clip of an October 2024 dialog that she had with Lewis about them each receiving stage III breast most cancers diagnoses.

"I took the standard route of a double mastectomy, chemo, and radiation. Ananda determined towards the double mastectomy and determined to take a unique remedy route," Sidner defined.

The community then broadcast a snippet of their dialog, whereby Lewis stated, "I made a decision to maintain my tumor and attempt to work it out of my physique a unique approach."

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After the clip concluded, Sidner launched Elam, who stated that she had visited her longtime buddy Lewis simply hours earlier than she died.

"I drove to be along with her, and held her hand, and I instructed her how a lot I like her," Elam stated. "Two-thirds of my life, she has been my trip or die."

Elam went on to elucidate that she deliberate to go to Lewis once more after her broadcast on Wednesday, however the MTV character's older sister knowledgeable her that her buddy had died. "I'm so glad I used to be capable of go the evening earlier than," she stated.

Elam additionally shared parts of one among Lewis' remaining textual content messages to her.

"She stated that issues had taken a unique flip than she would have appreciated. That is a part of the textual content she despatched me," she started. "She's like, 'You understand my emotions on this: all of us go. These our bodies are on mortgage and have to be returned. We are available love and select to go away it with love as nicely.' After which she'd go on to say in one other a part of it: 'I like you my fantastic lifelong bestie of besties.'"

The journalist emphasised that Lewis had come to phrases along with her alternative. "She was at peace with this determination," Elam stated. "She was calm about it. She wished to go after breast most cancers the best way she did it, and I like my lady, however she was hard-headed. She wished to do it her personal approach, even though so many people near her wished us to attempt the best way you probably did it, proper? However that is what she wished to do, and he or she was completely at peace with it."

Sidner, who was forcing again tears all through the section, praised Lewis' generosity. "She was at all times making an attempt to assist folks by way of issues herself, whether or not it could be one thing humorous like your skincare, your pores and skin routine, or, , fixing up your own home," she recalled. "She was wonderful."

Elam then vulnerably mirrored on the confusion and ache of her grieving course of. "She was my handywoman. I imply, she fastened all the pieces for me," she stated whereas visibly emotional. "I go searching, I'm like, 'How am I gonna do this stuff?' There are such a lot of issues I don't perceive. Do you unpin somebody out of your telephone? There are such a lot of components of this that nobody talks to you about whenever you lose somebody this near you. And I feel that's a part of this journey as nicely."

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Elam additionally stated that Lewis' dying is a testomony to the significance of proactively looking for medical testing and profiting from your circumstances.

"I'm so happy with her for being open and sincere and brave to have this dialog, as a result of if she has inspired anybody to go on the market and to get their mammograms, to check, get all of the testing executed—" she stated. "I do know it's scary and uncomfortable, however please do it. Save a life. Be right here. Thrive. That's what she wished folks to know, and that's what I need folks to know too."

Watch the total dialog between Sidner and Elam above.

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