Sara Sidner has been very public about her health journey over the years. The CNN personality had previously been diagnosed with cancer in 2024. During a recent episode of CNN News Central, she also shared an emotional update during a broadcast.
Sara Sidner Announced The News Of Her Original Diagnosis On CNN News Central
Sidner is known to many as a co-anchor of the morning edition of CNN News Central. She also anchored Big Picture with Sara Sidner for the network’s short-lived subscription service.
Back in early 2024, during the end of a CNN News Central episode, Sidner shared that she had been diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer. At the time, she shared that she had been undergoing treatments while maintaining her journalistic work.
During a recent segment on the show, Sidner read an email in the studio sharing the results of a recent biopsy. This was fifteen days after a scan revealing Stage 4 breast cancer.
In a candid share, Sidner revealed, “‘Not malignant,’” revealing that the scan had led to a false alarm. She continued, “‘Not malignant.’ What does that mean? It means not cancer. Again, shock, because the scan suggested otherwise. The doctor then made very clear: Biopsy beats scan. I had a deep, guttural sigh of relief.”
During her emotional CNN News Central share, Sidner said, “I wanted to share this update with you, about me. During these past few weeks, I thought that cancer had spread all over my body. A PET scan, which shows how your organs and tissues function at a cellular level, well, it lit up like a Christmas tree. It indicated I was likely metastatic, Stage 4 cancer, incurable. It appeared to have spread to my hip, my spine, my liver, my lungs.”
John Berman, Sidner’s Co-Anchor, Was Initially Confused, As He Didn’t Know About The Recent Scare
Sidner opened up about the emotional strain that the apparent news had on her. She shared, “I was inconsolable at the time. I immediately, as one does, looked up, ‘How long do I have to live?’ The number came back: less than five years.”
Sidner continued, “It knocked the breath out of me, as you might imagine. Then I cried. My husband cried with me. My mother was stunned and scared, but surprisingly hopeful, bless her.” She also described “fifteen days of torture” as she waited to hear the results of the painful biopsy, which involved being injected with needles to get necessary samples. A blood test, described as a new procedure, ultimately proved the negative results.
Co-anchor John Berman was initially confused, as Sidner didn’t tell him about the initial scare. He told her to “celebrate,” adding, “Don’t do what you always do, which is look for the next worst thing that’s gonna happen down the road.”
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John Witiw has been a writer since at least 2015. He’s covered a variety of topics, especially when it comes to film and television.