People reported that Lewis, along with her close friends, CNN’s Stephanie Elam and Sarah Sidner — who announced her Stage 3 breast cancer diagnosis in January — held a roundtable discussion on Tuesday to share their experiences and the different approaches they took toward healing.

After her diagnosis, Sidner underwent a double mastectomy in May. In contrast, Lewis chose to forgo the recommended procedure, exploring alternative, healthier treatment methods.

“My plan at first was to get out excessive toxins in my body. I felt like my body is intelligent, I know that to be true. Our bodies are brilliantly made,” Lewis explained.

She continued, “I decided to keep my tumor and try to work it out of my body a different way,” she shared. “Looking back on that, I go, ‘You know what? Maybe I should have.'”

During the CNN segment, Elam explained in a voice-over that Lewis had chosen homeopathic remedies, radiation, medication, better sleep, and a wholesome diet. While those methods proved effective for a while, Elam said Lewis learned last year that her cancer had spread.

“My lymph system really flared up,” Lewis said. “It was the first time I ever had a conversation with death because I felt like, ‘This is how it is.'”

“I was just like, ‘Fudge man, I really thought I had this.’ I was frustrated, I was a little angry at myself, and I said, ‘Man, listen. I know you’re coming for me at some point. But I don’t want it to be now. And if you could just wait, I promise when you do come, I’m gonna make it fun for you.'”

Lewis shared that she was “laying in bed“ when she had this conversation with herself, stating that the progression of her illness had left her confined to bed for more than eight weeks.

Both Lewis and Sidner may be living with the disease, but their viewpoints on life have drastically changed since their diagnosis. For Lewis, she said her “quality of life was very important to me. … I want to want to be here. So I had to do it a certain way, for me.”

Conversely, Sidner said having breast cancer made her want to choose life every day: “I want to be here. … I want to thrive in a way I have never felt before.”

Black women have a significantly higher mortality rate from breast cancer compared to women of other races. According to the American Cancer Society, “Black women are 41% more likely to die from breast cancer even though their incidence rates are similar to or lower than those of White women.” 

Watch the full segment below: