Today host Hoda Kotb told bosses 'you can't scare me' after breast cancer battle gave her the guts to ask for her dream job

TV host Hoda Kotb has told how having cancer gave her the guts to ask for her dream job.
The 48-year-old explained during an upcoming episode of Anderson Live that after successfully battling breast cancer in 2007 she felt fearless.
And when an opening on NBC's Today show came up she did something 'I have never done in my life' and marched into the CEO's office to ask if she could fill the spot.

Illness made me stronger: TV host Hoda Kotb explains how having cancer gave her the guts to ask for her dream job during an upcoming episode of Anderson Live

With a newfound sense of confidence Ms Kotb - who was working on another NBC show at the time - got in the elevator and went up the 52nd floor where the company's then president was.
She explained: 'I go up to his [Jeff Zucker's] office and my pulse was so calm because it felt so small to ask for that. 
'So I go in and I'm like, ''Jeff, you can't scare me....blah blah blah.'' And he's like, ''You're crazy.''

 

'But after that and with the help of some producers I got the job with Kathie Lee and I promise you if I hadn't have gotten sick, I don't think I would have had the guts to ask or the confidence.
'So they say, stronger in the broken places, I believe it. '

In the spotlight: Ms Kotb kept an intimate video log after she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007

Spreading the word: Ms Kotb discusses her battle with breast cancer with What Not to Wear host Stacy London and Anderson Cooper on the Anderson Live show

Ms Kotb - who now co-hosts the fourth hour of Today - was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007 after her gynecologist detected a mass in her breast during a routine exam.
She had no history of the disease in her family and had always led a healthy lifestyle, watching her diet and hitting the gym everyday.
Shortly after her diagnosis she underwent a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery.

'Everything that was important became totally clear, and so did the negative parts of my life that I needed to let go of'

Her battle with the disease was tracked in an intimate video log which was later shown on Today.
She recalled that one of the most difficult parts of going into surgery was knowing that she would look and feel different about her body afterwards.
'Knowing that you’re not going to be the same as you were. Knowing that when you look in the mirror, you’re never going to be whole,' she said.
Ms Kotb's treatment worked and last October she celebrated five years of being cancer free.
It isn't the first time Ms Kotb has spoken out about the way cancer has transformed her life.
In an article she wrote for Today titled 'Your life after cancer is better than the one before' she revealed: A funny thing happened as my body started to heal - my mind did as well.  

Dream job: Ms Kotb currently hosts the Today Show fourth hour with Kathie Lee

'The world just suddenly snapped into focus.  Everything that was important became totally clear, and so did the negative parts of my life that I needed to let go of if I wanted to follow my new mantra - go forward…Forward. Forward. Forward.'
However she added: 'It would be wrong to paint everything about breast cancer in a positive light. 
'There are times wearing or new dress or at the beach in a bathing suit and I look down and I think, ''That’s not me. I’m not whole.''
Ms Kotb is also infertile as a result of her treatment and knowing she will never a biological mother is something she says 'is really tough'.
She now wants to use her position in the media to help raise awareness of the disease.
Dr Freya Schnabel, director of breast surgery at New York University’s Langone Medical Center.said Ms Kotb's story proves why it's important to be vigilant about cancer screening.
'Early detection saves lives - that’s not even a question anymore - and allows people to have less obnoxious treatment,' she said.