Two sisters from Massachusetts got well-deserved makeovers on TODAY with Hoda & Jenna.
In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Kristen Flynn and Sally Peterson told their stories Oct. 16 of being diagnosed with and surviving breast cancer. The sisters also shared how Hoda Kotb inspired them to persevere through their health challenges.
Read their motivational stories and see their beautiful makeovers below.
Kristen Flynn
Kristen’s breast cancer story
Kristen Flynn said there was no family history of breast cancer, but she knew something was wrong when she noticed a “thickness” in her breast when she was 49 years old.
“It was not the typical lump marble that we’re taught as women to look for,” she recalled during the segment that aired on TODAY with Hoda & Jenna.
After doctors found a 6-centimeter tumor in her right breast, Flynn was shocked.
“Your world changes in an instant,” she said.
After Flynn was diagnosed, one of her friends attended an event where Hoda, also a breast cancer survivor, was speaking. When Flynn’s friend told Hoda about her story, Hoda handed her a ring she’d been wearing on her finger. It said “Forward.”
“She took it off of her finger and said, ‘Please give this to your friend, Kristen, for me, and tell her that I’m thinking of her and she will be OK,’” Flynn recalled.
Afterward, Flynn’s mother ordered more of the pink rings to hand out to family and friends.
“Everybody wore it as a symbol of moving forward. ‘We will get through this,'” the 58-year-old said.
Flynn underwent several methods of treatment to fight her cancer, including chemotherapy, a unilateral mastectomy and radiation.
“You wear your disease outwardly, and that’s really hard,” she said.
Kristen’s makeover
Hairstylist Chris Appleton explained to Hoda and Jenna Bush Hager that Flynn was made over with a layered blond bob.
“It was all about suiting personalities,” he said. “This is like real hairstyles that people can achieve.”
Stylist Melissa Garcia said Flynn wanted to feel sleek and powerful, so she was dressed in an Ann Taylor outfit.
Sally Peterson
Sally’s breast cancer story
Two years after Flynn’s diagnosis, her younger sister Sally Peterson learned that she also had breast cancer.
“I was 43. It was shocking and devastating. I had three little boys at home, and I was so scared and worried about them, and I wanted to be there to take care of them,” she recalled.
Peterson, who underwent the same treatment plan as her sister, focused on staying positive and distributed more “Forward” rings to her extended family. Having her sister’s support made a world of difference.
“She’s always been my big sister, and I’ve always looked up to her. She has always just been there for me. And I think that after this cancer journey together, as awful as it’s been, it has brought us closer,” the 50-year-old said.
Although she finished treatment several years ago, Peterson said she still notices “the effects of cancer” each day.
“I don’t like to look at myself. It’s not a pretty sight underneath everything,” she said.
Sally’s makeover
“Like the girls said, their hair grew back in different textures, different thicknesses, so we went for a complete rebound,” Appleton said while commenting on Peterson’s new red hair.
“Your eyes are, like, popping out!” Hoda said.
“They definitely had some insecurities from their surgeries that I really wanted to make sure I addressed so they felt comfortable,” Garcia said.
Garcia said Peterson loves color and loved the idea of doing a skirt or a dress, so she was dressed in a matching set.
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