The family Thanksgiving tradition that started all because of a wrong number was not canceled after a cancer diagnosis. It just has a new host.

Wanda Dench became friends with Jamal Hinton after she sent him a text message inviting him to Thanksgiving nearly a decade ago. He was just 17 years old in 2016 and she was trying to send her grandson a message but sent it to Hinton instead. Still, she invited Hinton to join the family dinner and it became the first of an annual event.

The strangers-turned-friends relationship has survived the pandemic, the death of Dench’s husband due to COVID complications and this year, breast cancer.

Dench said she had a CT scan to see if she had pneumonia earlier this year after she had bronchitis. She was clear of pneumonia but the scan showed a mass in her breast. Doctors told her to get a mammogram, which she hadn’t had in a few years.

That’s when doctors discovered Stage 1 breast cancer.

She told Hinton about her diagnosis.

“He was shocked when I told him, as well as my family members. He and his girlfriend, Mikaela, have been so supportive. He calls me on a regular basis just to check in and see how I’m doing and you know, boost my spirits and you know we have chats. It’s just been awesome to have the support from Jamal,” Dench told KSAZ.

She had the tumor removed along with a lymph node. Dench also underwent chemotherapy and radiation treatment, KPHO reported.

Hinton shared her medical news on social media.

As for the yearly dinner — it had a new host this year. Hinton had Dench over instead of her hosting the dinner.

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