'Thanksgiving Grandma' Wanda Dench, who reunites yearly with mistaken text buddy, reveals cancer diagnosis

Arizona grandmother Wanda Dench, who first became famous after her accidental Thanksgiving text in 2016 led her to yearly meetings with her then-new buddy Jamal Hinton, has just revealed she has been diagnosed with breast cancer.

In a post shared to social media by Hinton, Dench writes , "this year I came down with bronchitis and had a CT scan to check out my lungs."

She continued in the message writing, "a mass in my breast was detected and they suggested I get a mammogram and that verified I had breast cancer."

Dench said she wanted to share her health journey story in October, during Breast Cancer Awareness month.

"I've learned a lot of life's lessons through it all, but what I want to stress most of all is just because you may be older, we still have a life to live," she wrote.

For years now, Dench and Hinton have entered the lives of those browsing the web and social media each year after they first met and their story went viral.

FROM THE ARCHIVES | 'Thanksgiving Grandma' and mistaken text buddy reunite for 8th year

Now known as “Thanksgiving Grandma,” she and the guy she accidentally texted — Hinton — confusing his number for her grandson’s, get together year after year for Thanksgiving. Last year, they added a new guest to their celebration with the help of Airbnb.

Wanda Dench and Jamal Hinton started this tradition in 2016 and have kept it going, even after Wanda's husband passed away during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2021, it was announced that Netflix would be making a film inspired by the story of Hinton and Dench’s unlikely friendship. The planned title for the film was revealed as “The Thanksgiving Text."

The pair have also partnered on business ventures, including launching a brand of alkaline water in 2022 .