Craig Melvin's mother Betty Jo Melvin is opening up about her cancer diagnosis nearly a year after finally ringing the bell.
The 47-year-old NBC News anchor and his mother, 70, sat down for a joint interview with TODAY.com about the latter's battle with breast cancer last year.
© NBC/TODAY/Craig MelvinBetty Jo explained that she had received her diagnosis in June 2025 after a routine mammogram, and after an arduous few months that included extensive treatment, spanning surgery to chemotherapy and radiation, she finally rang the bell last fall.
In fact, the moment even led to an emotional reaction from Craig on the air just two days prior, as he watched another family live through the same moment on the air, watch that clip below…
"She is, hands down, the most resilient person I know and will probably ever know," Craig proudly noted of his mom, calling her the "rock" of the Melvin family. "She was the first in our family to go to college."
"She grew up in the projects. She did not have the best front row seat, shall we say, to a happy marriage between my grandmother and my grandfather. She saw abuse up close, and she overcame all of that."
He recalled first receiving the call that she had breast cancer, uttering the question "we could lose her?" in near disbelief, explaining that it was one of the first times he'd seen his mom as actually vulnerable. However, that immediately shifted into supportive son mode.
© Getty ImagesBetty Jo's treatment finally wrapped in fall 2025, and she got to ring the bell to symbolize she was on the other side. "It did feel good, it really did," she noted. "And it felt good because I'm like, 'OK, there's one more thing that was thrown at me… OK, God, you said just trust you. And I trusted you. I didn't trust anybody else. I just trusted you.'"
However, she was sure to note a misconception that many have, assuming that ringing the bell means your cancer is cured. In fact, it just means that you're through treatment, but there's still more to do. "We don't get over it. We get through to the other side. You don't get over breast cancer. You get through it."
Craig also explained what made him so emotional on the show during the August 17 broadcast. "I think that sat with me," he shared. "I do think that I move so fast all the time that sometimes I don't sit with things as long as I should."
© Getty Images"I was so focused on getting (my mom) the best care, and making sure she was OK and… we got the second opinion and the treatment options — obviously my younger brother and I and my dad, we were the first faces she saw when she came out of the procedure — but I think just focused so much on getting her through it and making sure she was OK."
However, watching someone else go through the same journey allowed him to look at his and his mother's own through an outsider's perspective. "It's a reminder to not take things like that for granted," he emotionally noted.
The TODAY anchor especially wanted to mention how proud he was of his mother for not only powering through her cancer treatment, but also her evolved perspective on life. "For 50 years, literally 50 years, she has been just an angel among us."
© NBC"And if you talk to anyone who's ever spent time with her, they would tell you the same thing. Just give, give, give, give, give. It's all she’s ever done. It's all she knows," he gushed. "I wouldn't have the life that I have and that I'm able to enjoy without the sacrifices of my mother."
