Sara Sidner is opening up about a medical diagnosis.
The CNN senior national correspondent became emotional during a recent broadcast as she shared she has been diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer.
"I have never been sick a day in my life," Sidner said on CNN News Central Jan. 8. "I don't smoke. I rarely drink. Breast cancer does not run in my family and yet here I am with stage three breast cancer. It is hard to say out loud."
Sidner went on to detail her treatment plan moving forward, explaining that she is currently in her second month of chemotherapy treatments and will undergo radiation and a double mastectomy.
"Stage three is not a death sentence anymore for the vast majority of women," she continued, "but here is the reality that really shocked my system when I started to research more about breast cancer, something I never knew before this diagnosis: If you happen to be a Black woman, you are 41 percent more likely to die from breast cancer than your white counterparts."
The 51-year-old also issued a plea about staying on top of your health.
"To all my sisters, Black and white and brown out there," she added, "please for the love of God get your mammograms every single year. Do your self-exams. Try to catch it before I did."
And though Sidner noted she "could have never ever predicted" her health scare, she concluded with a message of gratitude.
"I have thanked cancer for choosing me," she shared. "I'm learning that no matter what hell we go through in life, that I am still madly in love with this life. And just being alive feels really different for me now."
As Sidner explained, she's found a silver lining. "I am happier because I don't stress about foolish little things that used to annoy me," she said. "And now every single day that I breathe another breathe, I can celebrate that I am still here with you."