Heartbreaking moment journalist is diagnosed with breast cancer during live mammogram

As many of you may know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, in which many campaigns will take place around the world to help people become aware of the signs, causes, and dangers of breast cancer.

Per BreastCancer.org, about 1 in 8 women in the US (approximately 12%) will develop an invasive form of breast cancer over the course of her lifetime. In 2019 alone, it is estimated that 268,600 women and 2,670 men will be diagnosed with the disease. More than 40,000 people will die from breast cancer in the US alone this year.

Statistics like this highlight why it is crucial that women and men become aware of the signs of this deadly disease, and that people know where to go if they suspect anything wrong with their body. One woman who attempted to do her part in all of this is journalist Ali Meyer, who works as a reporter for news outlet KFOR.

For Breast Cancer Awareness month, the 41-year-old appeared relaxed an happy as she live-streamed her preparations for what she believed would be a routine screening at the Stephenson Cancer Center in Oklahoma City last October. However, after an abnormality was found in her breast, an emotion Meyer soon revealed to the viewers that she had breast cancer.

Ali, dressed in a hospital patient gown, told viewers: "Alright, so I was hoping for a routine little mammogram, and that's not how this went. I was just sure we'd have nothing today, but here we are. I have breast cancer and I don't have a tonne of answers yet."

After further tests, Meyer was diagnosed with non-invasive ductile breast cancer in her right breast, which is, fortunately, one of the most survivable forms of the disease. What was devastating for Ali was finding out that she would have to have her entire right breast removed. Opening up about her mastectomy, she said: "It felt like forced mutilation, like cancer was stealing away part of my body."

Conversations with doctors eventually led to Meyer becoming more comfortable with the procedure - even letting news cameras record plastic surgeon Dr Oscar Masters perform her reconstruction surgery.

Thankfully, Ali’s surgery was a success and she is now free of cancer. Doctors have also informed the reporter that she is "most likely to be completely cured" as a result of her decisions to get checked and undergo the mastectomy.

She explained: ‘My outcome was better because my mammogram found the cancer before I even knew it was there.’

We wish Meyer all the best for her future, and would like to remind all of you to regularly check your body for any abnormalities, and if you do find something, book an appointment with your doctor.