For Hoda Kotb, breast cancer is something she never saw coming.
On Thursday, Feb. 27, the newly retired Today host spoke to PEOPLE while attending the Runway for Recovery event honoring breast cancer survivors.
The 60-year-old was diagnosed with breast cancer 18 years ago after discovering a lump. She underwent a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery in March 2007. Kotb, who has remained cancer-free in the years since, recalls just how shocking the diagnosis was to hear.
“I mean, there are people who are going to get breast cancer. I didn’t think I was one,” she admits. “I mean, I ate apples and ran in Central Park. I was like me? When they called me, they were like, ‘Oh, it’s you.’ I go, ‘It can’t be me. Why would it be me?’ I’ve never done any of the things that would lead to this diagnosis, but yet it came.”
Kotb says one of the most important things to do when receiving a cancer diagnosis is to “take a deep breath and slow down.” She says people should choose a doctor who they respect and admire, and then allow themselves time to “go through what you need to go through.”
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“When it comes to breast cancer, it’s sort of like, get it early, get it out, and try not to be defined by it,” she tells PEOPLE. “It can shape you, but if it defines you, then you will spend your life feeling a certain way. So it’s like understanding this is part of me, but not all of me. It’s going to change me and I’ll be different now.”
“But what you’ll find is you’re braver, you’re more resilient,” she adds.
Kotb then reflected on her participation in the annual Runway for Recovery show as a featured model. Calling it “an incredible cause,” the fashion show included more than 65 women, men, and children impacted by metastatic breast cancer.
The nonprofit was founded by Olivia Boger to celebrate those fighting breast cancer, survivors of breast cancer, and those who died from the disease. Thursday’s event raised $456K and the organization has raised a total of $10.2 million since it was created.
“What I love the most about this whole event is the people who are walking the runways have been through it,” Kotb says. “This is not like models walking on the red carpet. These are people who’ve been through it and what they’re doing is they’re showing you, they’re not telling you. They’re showing you, this is where I am now.
“When I had breast cancer, I remember thinking to myself, will I ever feel pretty in an outfit? Will I ever feel comfortable? How will I look?’” she tells PEOPLE. “I’m watching what’s happening here today and it’s extraordinary. It’s important.”
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