INDIANAPOLIS (WTHR) — Eyewitness News anchor Andrea Morehead announced she is facing a battle with breast cancer.
Andrea and her husband shot a video that was aired on Monday's Eyewitness News at 5. The video revealed why she has been missing from the anchor desk.
Andrea wrote a letter she wanted us to share with viewers:
EARLY DETECTION SAVES!
My life forever changed on April 19th with three words - “You have cancer!” I instantly thought about my 10-year-old son Ean and my husband Archie. What will happen to them if I’m not here?
As we rode in the car on our way to the hospital to meet with the surgeon the next morning, I began telling Archie about my “death plans” that centered around Ean’s college scholarship fund, insurance policies and who to speak with. It’s not that I didn’t want or even expect to live, although we weren’t clear yet what “stage” I was in, I just wanted to lessen what I can only imagine would be one of the worst times of someone’s life. I know what that’s like through friends of ours in Toronto, Canada.
Three weeks prior to my diagnosis, my lovely, dear friends The Celaires, recently called me on a Saturday morning with the devastating news that my girlfriend’s breast cancer returned and Lavinia was given only weeks to live! God, how and why do you take one of the most beautiful, spirit-filled women away from a loving husband and two beautiful children? I remember their wedding very well over 25 years ago in Sarnia, Canada. She was a beautiful Christian singer whose voice was a gift from God. Their first born took a bath in my sink in my Fishers home when they came to pay a visit when I just joined WTHR. That baby is now a high school senior and graduates in two weeks without her mom by her side.
My dear friend was laid to rest this past weekend and I was unable to attend because I had just completed my first round of chemotherapy. I grieve that I wasn’t able to see Lavinia, but I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that her spirit compelled me to get a mammogram.
In the spirit of full disclosure, my last one was in 2016. I could have sworn I just had it. BUT. LIFE. The daily to-do lists piled up and life just got away and I failed to make my health a priority. Archie would always say, “Babe, you need to get your checkup!” I would respond with “I know. I gotta’ do that,” then I would turn around and return to whatever task I was caught up in at the moment. A girlfriend of mine always says, “As long as I’ve known you, you have always been on the move!” In a weird way, I was honored by that comment because it meant I was a “mover and a shaker,” and I was “making things happen.” It strokes your ego. Who doesn’t like that? While there’s absolutely nothing wrong with being committed to work, events, and even people, the key is having balance and making yourself a priority!
In the spirit of full disclosure, again, I can’t remember when I conducted a self-breast exam. I was an athlete in middle and high school and have always been relatively healthy so I mistakenly thought that cancer wouldn’t knock on my door. Cancer happens to the people who I talk about on the stage for Race for the Cure, and the people I speak with about their journey during Cancer Support Community’s Laughing Matters and Community Hospital’s Giving Gig that raises money for cancer patients. I have the talking points down, emblazoned in my mind because I have spoken them for almost two decades. Now, they’re not just talking points -- they’re meaningful words that have true impact in people’s lives; they’re words that encourage and provide hope. They’re words that matter!
I know beyond a shadow of doubt, that my girlfriend Lavinia saved my life. CSC saved my life. But for those two events, at the same time, I would have thought nothing of the small, tender lump that I haphazardly brushed up against as I was taking off my bra. Nothing happens by chance. God shows us signs along the way. Will you listen?
Although my dear friend was laid to rest this past weekend, her legacy of a Christian walk, compassion, courage and love live on through Rich, her children, and all who have ever been touched by her spirit, which allows me to now live as she breathed the words, almost in song, into my heart… “go get it checked.”
Thank you, my friend and sister Lavinia, for giving me a second chance at life!
Early Detection Saves!
- Andrea
Please leave your well wishes to Andrea in the comments below.
WTHR's Andrea Morehead shared some difficult news today. She has been diagnosed with breast cancer. She created a...
Posted by WTHR-TV on Monday, May 7, 2018