Joan Lunden, appearing bald on the cover of PEOPLE magazine, will serve as a special correspondent for the “Today” show next week as the program kicks off Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Lunden, who was co-anchor of “Today” show rival “Good Morning America” for 17 years, from 1980-1997, is a breast cancer survivor. Lunden phoned in to the show this morning, a day after undergoing surgery to remove a cancerous tumor, and talked about going bald for the PEOPLE cover. “It wasn’t a comfortable decision, but I knew it was the right decision,” she told Matt Lauer.
Next Wednesday on “Today,” she’ll encourage women with breast cancer to take off their wigs on the plaza.
Lunden’s old home is also planning to “Go Pink” next Wednesday. All ABC News shows will devote a full day of coverage. It was during last year’s “Go Pink” initiative that “Good Morning America” anchor Amy Robach got her first mamogram. It turned out to be a life-saving move, as Robach was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a double mastectomy.
One year after the diagnosis, Robach will visit Charleston, South Carolina for an emotional meeting with Deborah Greig, just one of a number of women across the country who, as a result of Robach’s reporting, got tested, were diagnosed and are now being treated for breast cancer.