Former MTV & BET VJ, Ananda Lewis is opening up about her ongoing battle with cancer.
The media personality previously shared her breast cancer diagnosis with fans but has now confirmed that it has metastasized, and is now stage IV.
Lewis, 51, previously shared that she’d been diagnosed with stage III breast cancer in a 2020 Instagram post — saying that she’d refused mammograms for years due to a fear of radiation exposure.
View this post on Instagram
Now the cancer has progressed after choosing not to undergo traditional treatments, including a double mastectomy.
During a round-table discussion on cancer with CNN’s Stephanie Elam and CNN anchor Sara Sidner — who was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer early this year — Lewis shared that she went against her doctors’ recommendation for a double mastectomy following her diagnosis.
“I decided to keep my tumor and try to work it out of my body a different way,” said Ananda noting that she chose to remove toxins from her body. “Looking back, I go, ‘Maybe I should have [chosen a different path].’”
“My lymph system really flared up,” she recounted, recalling her first encounter with the possibility of death. “I thought I had this, but I told death, ‘Not yet. When you do come, I’m gonna make it fun for you.’”
View this post on Instagram
Our prayers and love are with Ananda!