It was an emotional morning for the hosts of NBC's Today Show, as Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb sat down with NBC contributor Jill Martin on the show on October 4, at the start of breast cancer awareness month.
They discussed Jill's journey with breast cancer, which she first revealed on the show back in July, and her balance between her work life and medical care.
The 47-year-old revealed she was documenting her journey to create more awareness about the disease and encourage viewers to get tested early.
© Getty Images"You wanna keep as much of your routine as possible," she said. "When I walk into the studio I feel loved, I feel safe. The Today family is like my family."
Her narration was interspersed with clips of some of the Today anchors, Craig Melvin, Savannah, and Sheinelle Jones, embracing her, with Sheinelle calling her their "Wednesday Warrior."
"It feels like home to me," Jill added. "Everyone knows what I'm going through, and everyone's been amazing. You think I'm going to let cancer take away something else I love to do?"
© Getty ImagesShe elaborated on her painful chemotherapy journey, six weeks after receiving a mastectomy, and the support of her family. As the segment cut back to the studio, it was clear that her colleagues were there to support her as much as possible.
"Hi Jill," Savannah and Hoda both said affectionately to their co-anchor while she dabbed away at her tears, and the former added: "You know we wanna hug you. But part of your chemo is [you can't go in public places], and we're so careful with you."
REFRESHER: Today Show star Jill Martin in tears as she reveals heartbreaking diagnosis
They encouraged her to take deep breaths to compose herself and Savannah said: "You don't have to be perfect. You don't have to show the world anything, this is real."
© Getty ImagesHoda called her a "marvel" for balancing the two worlds, being able to come into work each morning and remain her peppy self while also dealing with debilitating treatment.
MORE: Jill Martin makes devastating revelation about next step in cancer treatment
Savannah said: "We knew you were special, but now we know tenfold," and they both reached out to link hands with her as Hoda echoed: "We love you, we want to hug you so bad."
© Getty ImagesJill, known for her popular "Steals and Deals" segment on the NBC morning news show, revealed back in July that she had been diagnosed with stage two breast cancer.
MORE: Kathie Lee Gifford shares poignant personal message as former Today co-star shows support
Of her genetic test for the BRCA gene, she said: "That test saved my life. Had I not gotten the test, I wouldn't have gotten the scans and we would be telling a very different story. So, I feel super grateful."
She shared that her mother was a breast cancer survivor and her grandmother had sadly passed from the disease. Hoda was her biggest champion, having been diagnosed with breast cancer back in 2007, which she successfully overcame.
You can read Jill's poignant essay detailing her diagnosis and journey here
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