CNN Anchor Cancer Diagnosis: Zoraida Sambolin Undergoes Double Mastectomy

A CNN anchor’s cancer diagnosis is the second double mastectomy story we’ve heard today, and Zoraida Sambolin came out to say she too planned to undergo the procedure this morning on air.

The CNN anchor’s cancer admission was presented alongside coverage of news that Angelina Jolie had undergone a preventive double mastectomy after learning she had the gene BRAC1. Jolie’s mother, Marcheline Bertrand, died at the age of 56 of ovarian cancer.

Sambolin admitted she’d been diagnosed with breast cancer, and was candid about the emotional processes a woman experiences when contemplating both the specter of breast cancer as well as coping with the loss of both breasts.

Over on Facebook, the CNN anchor’s cancer admission was posted to her fans, and she wrote:

“I struggled for weeks trying to figure out how tell you that I had been diagnosed with breast cancer and was leaving to have surgery then […] Angelina Jolie shares her story of a double mastectomy and gives me strength and an opening. #bravewoman”

Normally, Sambolin is discussing the events and happenings of the lives of others, but her own personal struggle was on display when she spoke on her native CNN about her cancer diagnosis.

The CNN anchor explained that Jolie’s candid admission inspired her, and said:

“She said I feel empowered, that I’m in a strong choice that in no way diminishes my femininity. You know, it’s nice to hear somebody else talk about it and have that support of a lot of women around you.”

In deciding to undergo the double mastectomy, Sambolin says, it was her own two children and the thought of risking her life and what they’d go through that moved her to make the hard choice.

The CNN anchor adds:

“At the end of the day, I need to have peace of mind … I need to sleep at night. I have two kids that are my world, like any woman, and it’s what you think about. So I thought for me, this would be the best decision moving forward so I could feel confident that it’s not something that I’m going to have to deal with that much more in the future.”

Of the choice, she says it was straightforward and quick:

“I didn’t mess around. I went when I was supposed to go, and I followed it diligently.”

In the CNN anchor’s cancer segment, Sambolin highlighted the plight of women every day who may find that they — like Jolie — have the BRAC1 gene but are not covered by medical insurance for a preventive double mastectomy.