‘Today Show’ Anchor Hoda Kotb Discusses Fertility Issues Following Cancer Diagnosis, Pfizer Pulls Blood Pressure Drugs Due to Cancer Concerns and More

“Today Show” co-anchor Hoda Kotb opens up about her choice to freeze her eggs and to undergo fertility treatments after being diagnosed with breast cancer.

Kotb was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007 and subsequently underwent a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery. Due to her age and the type of treatments, her oncologist told her that freezing her eggs was “pretty close to a dead-end,” Kotb recently told “Good Housekeeping.”

“I was in my room, and I just sobbed. I thought, ‘Well, that’s that, isn’t it?’ Like, you almost blame yourself. ‘Why didn’t I do this? Why didn’t I do that?’ So I just pushed it away, because the reality seemed impossible to bear,” she said. “How do you survive knowing you can’t have what you desire and what you feel like you actually physically need?” she said.

However, Kotb was still able to become a parent, as she and her ex-fiance Joel Schiffman adopted their two daughters, Hayley, who is now 5 years old, and Hope who is now 3.

Three blood pressure drugs are pulled off the shelves because they contain cancer-causing agents.

Earlier this week, the pharmaceutical company Pfizer announced that it would be voluntarily recalling its blood pressure drug, Accuretic, as well as two of its generic hypertension treatments that are distributed by Greenstone, because they contain elevated levels of nitrosamines, a chemical that has been linked to cancer of the lung, brain, liver, kidney, bladder, stomach, esophagus and nasal sinus.

Pfizer reported that it has not received any reports of cancer due to exposure to the drugs, and that there is no immediate risk for individuals who are currently taking the medication. However, the company advised patients on the drugs to talk to their health care team and consider alternative treatment options.

A University of North Carolina football player receives rare cancer diagnosis.

Tylee Craft, a wide receiver at the University of North Carolina, announced on Twitter that he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and is undergoing treatment.

He wrote, “To Tar Heel Nation, I’ve recently been struggling with back pain, and it made it very difficult to get through the day, much less play football. … After a visit to the hospital, we found out that I have a rare form of cancer. As a result, I’ll be stepping away from football to focus on this battle and we’ve already started chemotherapy, but I plan on getting back on the field as soon as possible.”

Craft, who is from Sumter, South Carolina, said that he and his family are in good spirits and receiving support from the football program, athletics department and the medical professionals at the University of North Carolina.

First lady Jill Biden to visit Ukrainian children receiving cancer treatment in the United States

Biden is scheduled to meet with four children from Ukraine who were recently transported to the United States to continue receiving their cancer treatments.

The children and some immediate family members were airlifted from Poland to the Memphis International Airport in Tennessee and transported to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

“There, the patients will be able to safely resume critical cancer therapy disrupted by the Kremlin’s aggression. They will receive the specialized care they desperately need, and their family members will be afforded sustenance, security, and support from St. Jude,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement.

The visit, according to Biden’s representatives, is expected to include her highlighting programs and services that are available for children with cancer in relation to the Cancer Moonshot initiative.

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