“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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Angel Everett from Montgomery, Alabama, appeared on the October 1 episode of the show with her mother, Dorothy, to share her story, and the story of her sister, Eboni Johnson.

Angel cared for her sister during her treatment and soon after received her own breast cancer diagnosis. Angel underwent a double mastectomy and has been cancer-free ever since. Unfortunately, though Eboni beat her first cancer diagnosis, the cancer soon returned and she lost her battle in July 2024 at the age of 26. 

Although it’s been a challenging time for the family, they believe it’s important to keep Eboni’s memory alive and continue her advocacy work for early testing.  

“For my sister to be diagnosed at 23, no underlying family history,” said Angel. “If you feel something, say something. Don’t brush it up, don’t wait too late, because it could be a matter of life or death.”

Jennifer welcomed Angelica May and Imeek Watkins from Wilmington, North Carolina, to the show in April 2024 to help commemorate two exciting life changes for the couple.

Angelica and Imeek are high school sweethearts and recently celebrated their 10-year anniversary. In 2023, Angelica was diagnosed with stage 2 triple negative breast cancer. Though it was a difficult journey with 16 rounds of chemo, in March 2024, Angelica was able to ring the bell for her final cancer treatment while surrounded by family and friends.

If that wasn’t enough a reason to celebrate, Angelica had no idea Imeek was going to propose to her then and there in the hospital! And Imeek had no idea that the video of his surprise proposal would go viral with thousands of views from all over the world!

“Support is a big thing going through something like this,” Angelica told Jennifer of how Imeek and her community helped her while she went through treatment. “I feel like that played a huge part.”

“I feel great,” she added.  “I feel like myself. I’m not depressed or in that dark place I was in. I’m free. I beat cancer!”

Cancer survivor Phyllis and her daughter Imanni from Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, were shocked when they were called up to the stage by Jennifer so they could share their inspiring story of survival. 

Phyllis teared up while sharing how her daughter had been an incredible support throughout her two battles with cancer. Then the host surprised the mother and daughter music fans with tickets to the 66th Grammy Awards!

As she told Jennifer on the show in November 2023, Kelly Brown’s cancer journey began in 2015 when doctors discovered a large tumor on her stomach that turned out to be sarcoma. She underwent a seven-hour surgery and treatment and was declared cancer-free.

In 2020, doctors found another mass on the left side of her lung that was also sarcoma. She had surgery to remove that and thankfully has been cancer-free ever since.

Kelly said she relied on her faith and family — including her sister, Lauren, who initially wrote to “The Jennifer Hudson Show” to share Kelly’s story — to remain positive and strong during that stressful time. 

Lauren also revealed to Jennifer that she was so inspired by her sister’s strength and positive attitude during treatment that she decided to pursue a career in health care.  

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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