a day ago
CNN's Sara Sidner breaks down as she shares emotional tribute to MTV VJ Ananda Lewis
CNN anchor Sara Sidner struggled to hold back tears as she issued an emotional report on her friend and broadcast peer, former MTV VJ Ananda Lewis.
In a special report, Sidner paid tribute to Lewis, who died on Wednesday after a seven-year battle with breast cancer.
The co-anchor of CNN News Central was joined by network correspondent Stephanie Elam to share their heart wrenching reaction to Lewis' death in a vulnerable segment.
Elam and Sidner have also battled breast cancer, and in only October last year had come together with Lewis to share their individual journeys with viewers.
On Wednesday's broadcast, Elam revealed she had visited Lewis in the hospital to say goodbye just one day ago.
Elam revealed that she was covering the protests in Los Angeles when she got the heartbreaking call that Lewis' health was declining.
'So, I drove to be with her and held her hand, and told her how much I love her,' Elam said, holding back tears.
'Two thirds of my life she has been my ride or die. We have been there, going through things, we would text, and we would message each other all the time,' she continued.
'I was planning on getting off the air yesterday and going back to see her,' Elam said, adding that after she finished the broadcast, she saw a text from Lewis' sister letting her know that her friend had passed away.
Elam added that she was 'so glad' she got to see Lewis the night before her death and wanted everyone know that the former MTV star was a peace.
'She was at peace with this decision, she had come to grips with it,' the CNN reporter said.
Lewis had battled breast cancer for nearly seven years, and decided to take a nontraditional route with her treatment.
She didn't undergo a double mastectomy when she was first diagnosed with the disease, and the cancer eventually spread.
Elam admitted that Lewis was 'hard headed' at times, but praised her friend for dealing with her diagnosis in her own way.
Elam then revealed the last text Lewis sent her, which read, 'You know my feelings on this. We all go, these bodies are on loan and must be returned.
'We come in love and choose to leave it with love as well.'
Lewis then told Elam in her final messages, 'I love you, my wonderful lifelong bestie of besties.'
Elam and Sidner remembered Lewis as an 'awesome' mom, auntie, and friend, praising the MTV star's legacy.
'She was always trying to help people through things herself, whether it would be something funny like, you know, your skin care, your skin routine, or fixing up your house,' Sidner said.
CNN had shared a special story last October to look at the different ways breast cancer can be fought.
While Sidner opted for the double mastectomy, Lewis decided to try homeopathic remedies along with medication and radiation.
'My plan at first was to get out excessive toxins in my body. I felt like my body is intelligent, I know that to be true. Our bodies are brilliantly made,' Lewis told Elam and Sidner on CNN.
'I decided to keep my tumor and try to work it out of my body a different way,' she continued, before adding: 'Looking back on that, I go, 'You know what? Maybe I should have.''
Elam (right) said that even though Lewis was 'hard headed' about her decisions, she praised her friend's ability to go about cancer in her own way
Lewis then revealed her cancer spread to her lymph system, forcing her to have 'a conversation with death.'
The former MTV VJ later clarified her comments and said she considered getting the mastectomy, but wasn't able to as California hospitals deemed the surgery a non-emergency operation during the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020.
In a post on Instagram in February, Lewis admitted to her followers, 'It doesn't matter how bad things are in my body right now. What does matter is keep you out of this club.
'There are things I wish I did differently like 10 years ago to prevent cancer and I am talking about them.'
Lewis then urged her followers to focus on prevention measures, adding 'preserving your health is way easier than fighting to get it back.'
Sidner and Elam praised Lewis' candor during their on-air tribute and said they believed their friend saved many lives by urging regular mammograms.
Lewis rose to fame in the 1990s, hosting shows on MTV like Total Request Live, Hot Zone, and Spring Break.
She then hosted a daytime talk show, The Ananda Lewis Show, in 2001 for one season.
Lewis was a correspondent for The Insider from 2004 to 2005 and then became a carpenter, hosting the 2019 revival of While You Were Out on TLC.
She is survived by her husband Harry Smith, whose brother is A-list actor Will Smith, and her 14-year-old son, Langston.
