Shares

If you grew up in the 90s, you would recall the limited amount of melanin on MTV (Music Television Station), until they added a gorgeous veejay named Ananda Lewis.

Lewis served as one of the main faces of the network from 1990 until 2001 when she left to host her syndicated television talk show, “The Ananda Lewis Show.”

Following her stint on network television, Lewis had some success as an actress, but now the 47-year-old mother of one is hoping to educate women on the importance of getting their mammograms.

In a now-viral video, Lewis opens up to her fans about her 2-year hidden battle with breast cancer and why she feels it’s important for her to tell her story.

“I am sharing this with you today because it is the beginning of Breast Cancer Awareness month and I have been fighting to get cancer out of my body for almost two years,” said Lewis. “For a really long time, I have refused mammograms, and that was a mistake. I watched my mom get mammograms for almost 30 years almost, and at the end of that, she had breast cancer, and I said, ‘Huh. Radiation exposure for years equals breast cancer. Yeah, I’m going to pass. Thanks anyway.’”

Lewis admitted she was ignorant about the importance of mammograms.

“What I didn’t understand, and what I need you to understand, the reason why I’m here telling you my business, is because I would have had three or four mammograms by the time they caught it. Instead, I’ve had to have 2 PET [positron emission tomography] scans so far,” Lewis said.   

She also wants women to know that early detection can save your life.

“If I had done the mammograms from the time they were recommended when I turned 40, they would’ve caught the tumor in my breast years before I caught it through my own self-exam and thermography,” she said. “And they would have caught it at a place where it was more manageable. Where the treatment of it would have been a little easier. It’s never easy, but I use that word in comparison to what I’m going through now. Instead, what I’m dealing with is stage 3 breast cancer that is in my lymphs. I need you to get your mammograms.”

Lewis says she is determined to fight as hard as she can to remain on this Earth for her son and loved ones.

“I have a 9-year-old I need to be here for,” Lewis said. “I have no intention on leaving him. I don’t want to leave my friends or my family. Hell, I don’t want to leave myself. I like being here. So, listen, this is not how this was supposed to go but I’m just going to keep it real with you like I always do.”

Lewis admits where she went wrong and hopes her words can help someone else.

“This is an ongoing journey for me,” Lewis said.