RICHMOND, Va. -- Every weekday, there’s a familiar voice coming across the airwaves.
“Good Morning. It's Lori.”
Lori Kelly is on the mic at K95 playing the top country hits, but on this day in particular -- she got personal.
“I was diagnosed with breast cancer,” Kelly said. She told her listeners about her second battle with cancer.
“[I] feel really good about the fact it was detected so early that I'm going to be a breast cancer survivor,” Kelly said.
During her annual mammogram back in January, doctors saw what looked like pre-cancerous cells. She did a second screening, and then had a lumpectomy to remove the cells in question.
“In reality, once we got them out and got them to the lab, they were cancerous cells,” Kelly recalled.
In June, she had a second lumpectomy to make sure those cancerous cells were gone.
“When someone tells you that you have cancer, it changes your life,” Kelly said.
Something she already knows.
Four-and-a-half years ago, Kelly was diagnosed with and beat uterine cancer.
“I was so looking forward to my five years cancer-free when I got told four years and six months. My first reaction was not good. But then I realized the reason why I'm going to be a two-time survivor of cancer is right there,” Kelly said, as she pointed to her microphone.
Kelly is using her platform for her purpose. She’s on a personal mission to spread the word about early detection.
“Because ladies guess what? We're taking care of our bodies. [And] dudes, it's your responsibility just as much as hers to make sure she never misses an annual appointment, a pap smear. She never misses a mammogram,” Kelly said.
The day Lori broke the cancer news to her loyal listeners, CBS 6 Anchor Reba Hollingsworth was there to help spread Lori’s message.
“Buddy Check 6 airs on CBS 6 on the sixth of every month. We encourage women to do their self breast exams and to get a mammogram and to take care of themselves,” Hollingsworth said.
Kelly thanked her listeners for their support, from emails to social media posts.
“Thank you all for all of your well wishes. I really do appreciate that, and all your prayers. Thanks for being here with me everybody. I made it,” Kelly sighed.
Kelly will undergo radiation over the next few weeks. She said she just wants the cancer completely gone.
