HODA Kotb recently opened up about how her cancer diagnosis affected her ability to have children.
The Today anchor was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007.
Hoda opened up about her past health issues as the TV personality reached a major milestone by turning 60 on August 9.
The US daytime TV presenter shared her cancer journey on her Making Space podcast.
She said: “I remember even the doctor told me at that time, you know, one of the kind of side effects, especially at your age, which was my 40s, early 40s, is that you wouldn’t be able to have children.
“And I thought, ‘Wait, what?’
“So this thing not only put limits on my life, but also killed a dream.”
‘It made me free’
Hoda went on to explain that she was in a difficult time in her life at the time and what she told herself to help her feel better.
“I remember waking up one morning and saying to myself – it was like a bolt of lightning – and it was like, I remember those four words. It was, you can’t scare me because the worst had happened.
“And now? Now, what am I afraid of? And then not being afraid freed me. It freed me, it was amazing.
“Asking for what you deserve is something you should be able to do without worrying, ‘Well, I’m doing this because I might not live that long.’
“We shouldn’t have to have that to drive us to ask for what we deserve,” she concluded.
MOTHER OF TWO
In 2013, Hoda and her then-boyfriend Joel Schiffman adopted their first daughter, Haley.
The former couple adopted their second daughter, Hope, in 2019.
That same year, Hoda and Joel revealed that they were engaged.
TODAY Program Presenters
The TODAY Show is an American television program that airs on NBC at 7am. The broadcast discusses national and international news as well as weather reports. Weekday and weekend hosts include:
However, they announced that their engagement would end in 2022.
YOUR JOURNEY
During her cancer journey, Hoda openly discussed her experiences on Today.
At the beginning of her podcast, she talked about when she received her diagnosis and what was going through her head.
“When I got sick, I remember it clearly because I was thinking to myself, ‘How could I get breast cancer?’ and ‘why do I need a mastectomy?’
A mastectomy occurs when surgeons remove all or part of the breast to prevent breast cancer.
“I worried that everyone who had cancer would die of cancer. And I thought, ‘Oh my God, well, now I have cancer. So that’s what it means?’ Hoda said.
Since her mastectomy, Hoda has been cancer free.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story