Stranger’s 10-word advice on a flight changed Hoda Kotb’s outlook on her cancer journey

Hoda Kotb, a popular TV personality, hit her lowest in 2007 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Soon after, she went through a mastectomy and subsequent medical treatments, following which she was declared cancer-free. Ever since, Kotb had also been vocal about her battle, spreading awareness in hopes of helping others. However, the cancer survivor wasn't always comfortable sharing her battle until a simple conversation with a stranger changed her entire perspective. In an interaction with Susan Hendricks (@susan_hendricks), Kotb recounted the story involving a co-passenger on a flight. 

Kotb was interacting with a man she'd met on the flight when he noticed the compression sleeve on her arms and questioned her about it. She told him the doctor had advised her to wear it after a medical procedure, but the man wanted to know more. "What's the procedure?" he asked, and Kotb casually mentioned she recently had an operation, but the stranger kept asking for more details. Kotb, a little irritated by the nosy passenger, finally told him about her breast cancer, and the man was shocked. "He said, 'Let me give you some advice, and then you can fall asleep,'" she recalled. By now, Kotb let him speak so she could go back to minding her own business, but she didn't realize the impact his words would have on her. The man said, "Don’t hog your journey. It’s not just for you." He asked Kotb to think about how many people she could help by sharing her story. The stranger explained to Kotb that she had two choices to deal with the situation. She could either choose to keep her journey to herself and take it to her grave or share it with the world and help people with similar crises. You can see the confession here!

Sharing your journey, especially the difficult ones, is a lot more painful than it sounds. But when courageous people do talk about their painful phase, it helps millions of others suffering from the same situation. A survey of 100 melanoma survivors found that 43% shared their story to provide details about their treatment, 42% for catharsis, 38% for general advice, and 34% for spreading hope. Meanwhile, reacting to Kotb's confession, @ona.grundstein wrote, "We need to shout it from the rooftops and share it. Let people know that we can survive the 'procedure' and come out the other side, through the long and sometimes winding road. We are warrior sisters! Be proud! Stay strong and fight on!"

@lana.manikowski commented, "Yes! This is exactly why I share my 7-year journey through fertility treatments that ended without a child. So many women are left feeling shameful with no roadmap, no resources, and no community to grow with when they’re childless not by choice. I was one of them. But I also decided to become the one who created the resources that didn’t exist… for every woman finding her way after infertility." Similarly, @southsquarecreative said, "Wow! It is a powerful message and a reminder that we are meant to connect human to human." @neverforgetyoursparkle shared, "Hoda is the best! I was lucky to be able to get to meet her live on Hoda and Jenna! They are amazing, and I got to share my story live on National TV and the non-profit that got me there!"

You can follow Susan Hendricks (@susan_hendricks) on Instagram for more motivational stories. 

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