Why did Ananda Lewis not get a double mastectomy after breast cancer diagnosis? Health journey explored as former MTV VJ dies at 52

By Tanishqa Patil

Modified Jun 13, 2025 03:46 GMT

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Ananda Lewis, the acclaimed MTV VJ and social activist, passed away on June 11, 2025, at the age of 52 after a courageous five-year battle with breast cancer. Her passing was confirmed by her sister, Lakshmi, through Facebook, which left a void in entertainment and advocacy circles that had admired her.

She wrote,

“She’s free, and in His Heavenly arms.”

Ananda Lewis shocked her followers in 2020 by revealing she had Stage III breast cancer, which she had been privately treating since January 2019.

On October 16, 2024, in a round-table interview with CNN anchor Sara Sidner and CNN Tonight host Stephanie Elam, Lewis revealed the regret she had over some of the decisions she had to make when dealing with cancer.

Doctors suggested a double mastectomy after she was initially diagnosed. However, Lewis chose another path and used homeopathic treatment in addition to medicine, radiation, and lifestyle interventions, including getting better sleep and eating better.

Her other strategy appeared to pay off temporarily. But, unfortunately, she found out last year that the cancer had metastasized and that her lymphatic system had flared up quite severely.

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“Cancer entered my life in a very sneaky way” — Ananda Lewis's fight with breast cancer

Ananda Lewis had previously detailed her battle with cancer in an essay for Essence published on January 24, 2025. She explained that the breast cancer had "entered my life in a very sneaky way". She advised readers,

“Do everything in your power to avoid my story becoming yours. If I had known what I know now 10 years ago, perhaps I wouldn’t have ended up here."

She added,

"I would have been cold plunging, exercising consistently, making sure my vitamin D levels were good, detoxing my body on a monthly and yearly basis, and sleeping better. I would’ve been doing all the things I’ve been forced to do now, to keep my body from creating more cancer and remove what it has already made.”

Ananda Lewis disclosed that she was afraid of mammograms out of fear of radiation, which caused delays in early detection. She wrote in Essence,

“I was told my tumor was growing at a moderate rate — and the full scope of what they suggested I do to handle it was pretty radical. I was clearly hesitant and was told I could take the time I needed to decide.”

She continued,

“I dove into the research and learned that environmental and lifestyle factors influence 90 percent of what causes cancer. So I stopped drinking alcohol. I stopped consuming sugar. I did a cleanse to get the buildup of toxins in my body out. I began to shift the way I manage stress. My goal was to do things that supported my body’s ability to continue to be whole enough to heal, instead of destroying it up front.”

In summer 2020, she “felt the tumor growing again" and was treated in an integrative health center in Arizona. Later, Ananda had a hard time affording additional treatment and lost her health insurance.

In January 2023, Ananda Lewis received her insurance back, and a scan revealed that the tumor had grown “a little bigger” but “hadn’t spread anywhere else.” But in October 2023, another scan revealed “that the cancer had gone wild in my body.”

She wrote,

“Once it spreads to a site outside the original location, that puts you in stage 4. I called on my loved ones again and got back into treatment at an integrative facility closer to home, in Southern California. By January 2024, I had completed about 12 weeks of therapy and had greatly improved.”

In the end, Ananda Lewis leaves behind more than a legacy in media, as her fearlessness still educates and empowers, even in her absence.