The Arizona grandma who rose to viral fame after accidentally inviting a stranger to her Thanksgiving dinner has been diagnosed with breast cancer.
Wanda Dench chose to share her diagnosis in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, saying she’s been going through chemotherapy.
Jamal Hinton – the young man Dench invited to dinner instead of her grandson, and who has continued to celebrate the holiday with her every year since – posted her statement on X Wednesday (October 16th).
“Earlier this year I came down with bronchitis and had a CT scan to check out my lungs,” the statement from Dench reads. “That’s when a mass in my breast was detected, and they suggested I get a mammogram and that verified I had breast cancer.”
Dench mentioned that cancer doesn’t run in her family and that all of her previous mammograms had been negative. So, when she turned 65 in 2022, Dench believe she wouldn’t have to get mammograms anymore. “But I was wrong,” she writes.
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“After the shock wore off, I met with the most wonderful people at the Breast Cancer Center. Everyone was so kind, supportive, and knowledgeable. My family and friends quickly came to my aid and have supported me through everything.”
One of those friends is Hinton. Since Dench’s accidental Thanksgiving invitation in 2016, both have spent much time together even outside of the annual holiday.
I’ve learned a lot of life lessons through it all but what I want to stress and most of all is just because you may be older, we still have a life to live,” Dench’s statement continues.
The Thanksgiving grandma, who is a fan of “The Golden Bachelor,” believes she “could still find love” in her “senior years” and thus wants everyone to “continue getting your checkups, and continue to live your YOUR life,” she said.
Dench ended her message with a quote from the Bible: “She is clothes in strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future’ and confirmed that she and Hinton “still plan on getting together for Thanksgiving next month as we have every year.”
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