NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 26: Sara Sidner attends 45th Annual New York Women In Film And Television Muse Awards at Cipriani 42nd Street on March 26, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images)
In an emotional interview with TheGrio’s Natasha S. Alford, CNN anchor Sara Sidner reflects on the loss of Ananda Lewis, the mental toll of breast cancer, and the health disparities Black women continue to face.
After a week filled with deep loss and reflection, CNN anchor Sara Sidner spoke with TheGrio’sNatasha S. Alford about something far more personal than the headlines she usually covers: her ongoing battle with breast cancer and the recent passing of her dear friend, Ananda Lewis.
In a raw and heartfelt moment, Sidner described the “tornado of emotions” she’s been experiencing as she grieves Lewis—who also battled breast cancer—and simultaneously prepares for her own reconstructive surgery.
“How am I doing? I don’t know right now, honestly,” she admitted to Alford when asked how she was doing. “I can’t really explain the tornado of emotions that is swirling around in my body right now. Losing Ananda Lewis after having sat with her just a few months ago and talked about our decisions for our health and knowing that part of her decision was a bit of a trust of the traditional ways of medicine in this country.
Sidner pointed to the stark racial disparities in breast cancer outcomes. According to the American Cancer Society, Black women are about 40% more likely to die from the disease than white women. This harsh reality is due to factors like late-stage detection, other health conditions that complicate the disease, and inadequate access to care.
CNN’s Sara Sidner speaks with Ananda Lewis and fellow CNN journalist Stephanie Elam, about Black women and breast cancer. (Photo courtesy CNN)
She continued: “Knowing that we both took these different paths and that she was at peace with hers and that I’m at peace mine, but losing her was just a reminder of not only the deadliness that cancer can still med out, but also that it does it to black women more than their counterparts.”
“Having that light be turned off… is just a reminder of our mortality—and a reminder that my fight with this disease is not over.”
Sidner shared that while she has completed some phases of treatment, her journey is ongoing. A major reconstructive surgery still lies ahead, and long-term medication will be part of her life for years to come. The emotional toll, she said, is just as real as the physical one.
“I think that’s probably one of the hardest things about this particular kind of breast cancer, but cancer in general is you’re always wondering is it gonna come back- when does it come back?” Sider reflected.
“There’s a mental component of this that I think everyone has to recognize and deal with and try to make sure that there’s no shame or blame that goes on both in your own mind and in your community.”
Sidner’s openness reflects the same themes of truth-telling and healing she explores in her latest CNN story, airing Sunday at 8PM ET on The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper. The special is called “The Simril(l)s: A Family in Black and White” and follows one family—Black and white descendants linked by slavery—as they confront painful history and begin a conversation about reparations.
