Chelsea Paxton Hamel, co-host on Woody and Wilcox, reveals breast cancer diagnosis
The cancer was detected early during a routine mammogram and her prognosis looks good, Paxton Hamel revealed Thursday morning. Chelsea Paxton Hamel, co-host of the Woody and Wilcox show, has been diagnosed with breast cancer. She explained her diagnosis to listeners that it was caught early and her prognosis is good. She also encouraged others to get their annual cancer screenings. Paxtonhamel, who joined the show as an intern in 2011, shared her support system and subsequent medical appointments. She is scheduled for surgery to remove the cancer on Friday. After sharing her diagnosis, listeners offered support, encouragement and prayers.
Published : a month ago by Jeff A. Chamer in
Chelsea Paxton Hamel explained the reason she had to leave early the last couple of episodes of the Woody and Wilcox show during Thursday’s episode: She was diagnosed with breast cancer.
She reassured listeners it was caught early and her prognosis looks good, but wanted to explain her absence from the morning radio show and encourage others to get their annual cancer screenings.
“It is just something I have to deal with and get through,” Paxton Hamel said during the show she co-hosts with Greg Wood and Chris Wilcox. “I feel good about my prognosis and my treatment.”
It was a shock, she said, and continues to be a shock, since it’s only been a few weeks. But she said she remains positive through her support system.
“The network of people who immediately surround you with support and direction, and making appointments for you, and calling your insurance company and all of those things, I’ve never experienced anything like it,” she said, “Everyone has been amazing.”
Paxton Hamel, who joined the show as an intern 2011, explained to listeners her diagnosis was caught during a routine mammogram, which she said she gets every year. Because of this routine, doctors were able to detect the cancer “very, very early.”
Since then, she said, she’s had many appointments and tests to ensure the cancer hadn’t spread. She said she is scheduled for surgery to remove the cancer on Friday.
Before announcing her diagnosis on the show, some callers dialed in to guess why she was absent, making a few humorous guesses. But Paxton Hamel said it was fine, and she appreciated their jokes.
After sharing her diagnosis, more listeners called in to offer support, encouragement and prayers. Some callers shared their own experiences with fighting cancer or trying to support a loved one who was battling the disease.
Wilcox and Wood commended Paxton Hamel on her positive outlook on the situation and for being open about her private life with listeners.
She said that while she appreciated their kind words, she didn’t want the show “to turn into the ‘let’s just worry about Chelsea and her cancer’ show.”
“I know that other people are out there just suffering with so many other things, and I hope that this is a place where you can come, you make fun of us, we have a good time, we laugh and you can forget about all those things,” Paxton Hamel said. “This has a clear path of treatment. And I feel good about my prognosis.”