‘She Never Lost Hope’: Jill Martin and Kathie Lee Gifford’s Emotional City of Hope Reunion
After years of life together, their friendship keeps them strong and thriving
All of our lives have been impacted by cancer — whether we know someone fighting, have celebrated with a survivor, or unfortunately, lost a loved one — cancer holds a lot of power. But as Kathie Lee Gifford supported Jill Martin through her cancer battle, the duo also learned the true power of friendship.
Now, just before Kathie Lee presented the City of Hope’s Spirit of Life award to her dear friend, Jill Martin, Woman’s World caught up with the duo. Here, they talk about their respect and adoration for City of Hope — and for each other.
“City of Hope has never lost their focus, and they’re giving this award to my precious friend, Jill Martin, who never lost hope either in her own cancer battle,” Kathie Lee says. “What she did was so brave. A lot of people just want to be like a sick puppy. They just want to go sit in the corner and lick their wounds. Jill didn’t do that at all.
“She said, ‘Yeah, this sucks, but I can help. I can use this to be a blessing for others, and that’s what the world needs more of. We need more kindness and more love.”
Kathie Lee Gifford and Jill Martin’s lasting friendship
The pair sat hand-in-hand as they shared how their friendship began when Jill was an intern on LIVE! with Regis and Kathie Lee when she was 19 and a student at the University of Michigan.
“And look at her today, she’s never looked more beautiful in her life!” Kathie Lee says, full of pride for Jill’s accomplishments as an Emmy Award-winning television personality, fashion expert, and lifestyle contributor on TODAY.
And now, the long-time friends are in business together. “We’re also business partners now,” Jill says.
“I believe in this woman so much, I invested in her!” Kathie Lee says with a smile.
“That’s right,” Jill laughs. “My Sherpa business, By Jill Martin. When I was sick, I decided to open my own direct to consumer line. I’m always in Sherpa, so I started this business. I asked important people in my life who have helped shape me as a human being to invest in it.”
Kathie Lee Gifford and Jill Martin’s heart for City of Hope
City of Hope has touched both of the women’s lives in different ways. “A lot of these organizations come and go because they’re not running properly, but mostly because they lose their heart for the subject matter,” Kathie Lee says. “But City of Hope is about research. This is about healing. This is about compassion, all the things we truly need more of. I’m honored to be here.”
As for Jill, she was hesitant to accept the award. “When I was originally asked to do this event, I said no, because I believe that cancer doesn’t want you to be honored like I regard cancer as this powerful force, and I have great respect for cancer. I also couldn’t bear for my mom and for the people who love me the most to have to hear this story again. It’s so painful.
“But this is the reason I’m here: if you hear anything I say today,” Jill spoke boldly, “Let it be this—1 in 400 women will face breast cancer in our lifetime. There’s 400 people here today. Somebody in that room does not know that they’re BRCA positive. Ask your doctor if genetic testing is appropriate for you. This means we might have 10 people in there whose lives we’re going to save today.
“I was up on my sonograms. My mother had breast cancer. But no test is perfect. A sonogram is 93% and that’s pretty good. But then there’s the 7%. I was never in the 7% until I was,” Jill speaks through tears.
She had previously tested negative for the BRCA gene on her mother’s side. She thought she was in the clear. Little did she know, she was walking around with a 60-90% chance of having breast cancer through her father’s side. “Those are not odds that you should ever, ever play with,” she says.
“So that’s why I’m here. To have Kathie Lee here makes me feel 100% safe. She’s one of my soul mates. Regardless of what’s going on in her life, she shows up.”
Since being diagnosed, Jill has had chemotherapy and seven surgeries. She explains why she thanks chemo for saving her. “Chemo is our friend. I thank these pills every morning for saving our lives. Now, I’m cancer free!
“I choose to crush every day, I choose to cry and I choose to laugh,” she says. “I choose to go on adventures and I choose to be here with you, and I choose to go on TV. I’m so blessed.”
“When she was an intern, Jill worked harder than anybody else,” Kathie Lee recalls. “Those are the kind of people you end up seeing later in life. She worked hard and she was kind to everybody. Over the years our friendship has deepened. I think about Jill and I smile.”
The emotional event raised thousands of dollars to continue to work City of Hope does to raise awareness and save lives. Find out more about City of Hope’s good work at CityOfHope.org.
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