Erin Andrews is a strong woman. In 2008, she was videotaped nude through the peephole of a Nashville hotel room. When the video hit various internet sites, Andrews endured emotional distress from this stalking experience but exhibited unbelievable amounts of strength and tenacity by not letting the incident define her.
Instead, week after week, the TV personality and sports reporter appeared on national television working the sidelines of major football and basketball games while maintaining her composure and confidence.
So in September when the 38-year-old learned she had cervical cancer, being strong was her only option.
"Hey, I have cancer," Andrews told MMQB's Emily Kaplan. "But dammit, I am strong, and I can do this.”
This woman is incredible. She didn't even tell her colleagues of her diagnosis, and just two days after undergoing her first surgery, Andrews flew to Green Bay to report a feature about Packers wideout Jordy Nelson. Despite multiple surgical procedures, she did not miss any on-camera time for Fox Sports' NFL coverage. Instead she appeared in the home of millions every Sunday with a smile on her face.
Here was a woman who had been stalked and unwillingly exposed to the world, and now was battling cancer. The way she refused to let anything get in the way of her career is something all of us women can learn from and be inspired by.
Working in sports media is not easy for women, and for Andrews, the 2008 stalking and video made it exponentially harder. Andrews was already an inspiration to young female sports reporters like me. Learning about the strength with which she fought cancer made her story resonate even more, as we hopefully all move one step closer to equality for women in sports.
On November 1, Andrews was declared to be cancer-free. She is set to be on the sidelines in Houston for Super Bowl 51.
You go, Erin!
-- Follow Megan O'Brien on Twitter @MeganOBsports.
