“The Jennifer Hudson Show” celebrates Breast Cancer Awareness Month! Every October marks the perfect time to learn about preventive measures for breast cancer, raise funds for research into its cause and cure, and celebrate those who have battled and those who have survived.

Jennifer Hudson has welcomed many people on the show that have been affected by breast cancer and invited them to share their stories.

Read on for the inspiring stories of breast cancer survivors, as well as what you need to know about the disease from a board-certified OB/GYN.

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Terlisa Sheppard and her daughters from Orlando, Florida, stopped by the January 26 episode of the show. Terlisa is a breast cancer survivor who was first diagnosed at age 31 when she was pregnant with her youngest daughter. Twenty-four years later, she’s still here!

Terlisa is currently in treatment and will be for the rest of her life, but she is grateful to be around for her now adult daughters. She also gives back to her community by volunteering at a cancer center, mentoring others battling cancer, and driving them to and from appointments.

Jamela Mack from New York, New York, wrote to “The Jennifer Hudson Show” to share that she would love to attend a taping of the show to celebrate being cancer-free for three years. She had no idea that Jennifer would invite her to the couch to be on the show!

Jamela said she was “devastated” to discover she had cancer, but she knew she had to gain the strength to fight.

“I had to retrain my mind to tell myself, ‘Jamela, you got this.’ Once I felt confident, I was like, ‘I’m gonna do this,’ and I just put my gloves on and I handled it.”

“The power of a positive mind!” said JHud. “Mind over matter, as my mom used to say.”

Jamela says she is now transitioning into survivorship. This means she no longer needs active oncology and it’s a sign that she’s headed in the right direction.

Jennifer Hudson gives a special shout-out to studio audience member Michelle, a Minnesota teacher who has stayed positive throughout her battle with metastatic breast cancer.

Michelle told Jennifer that being spontaneous has helped lift her spirits, and she thanked JHud for being a “positive light” for women like herself.

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Sisters Stacy Harper and Lakisha Bradley, from Fayetteville, Arkansas, thought they were coming to Los Angeles to do an interview for JenniferHudsonShow.com. Little did they know they were going to meet Jennifer on the show!

Lakisha wrote to the show about her sister, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in June 2020 before her 40th birthday. Despite her health battle, Stacy — an activist and nonprofit founder — continued to help others and brought resources to families in her area.

Stacy had a mastectomy and had 11 lymph nodes removed. Today, Stacy is cancer-free, and she was recently recognized as Northwest Arkansas Woman of the Year for her community service.

Jennifer interviewed Dr. Nita Landry, a board-certified OB/GYN, who partnered with Maddy the Mobile Mammography Coach to give our audience free mammograms.

While sitting with JHud on the couch, Dr. Nita answered audience questions about breast cancer and what they should do to screen for the disease.

Dr. Nita said that although family history is important, approximately 85% of women who are diagnosed with breast cancer don’t have a family history of the disease. “So, this information is important for all women,” she added.

The doctor also pointed out that Black women have a lower incidence rate of breast cancer compared to white women. However, she said that Black women have a 40% higher breast cancer death rate compared to white women.

“The probability of having breast cancer before 40 is really low,” she said. “However, when you look at all the numbers, Black women are the group that will be more likely to get breast cancer below 40 years of age.”

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