Pilot Congratulating Cancer Survivor on Plane Goes Viral: 'Made My Day'

The heart-warming moment a pilot congratulates a breast cancer survivor traveling on his plane has gone viral.

The airline announcement has pulled on the internet's heartstrings and been watched by more than 13 million people. It was shared by @valeriwinnjones and has been liked more than one million times on Instagram.

Thanking Southwest Airlines for the memory, valeriwinnjones said: "We will remember it always."

The sweet video showed the pilot acknowledging the journey taken by passenger Jyrl Oldham, 33, who is now cancer-free. She can be seen sitting clueless in her seat, unaware of this coming gesture.

After the announcement, the whole plane began to cheer for Oldham while she wept tears of joy. You can watch the video here.

The pilot admitted feeling also emotional, saying: "you got me early on that one."

Speaking to Newsweek, Valeri said: "Jyrl is a retired pilot so she was even more elated with the sweet words spoken by Captain Cain of Southwest Airlines and the subsequent applause by the kind passengers on the plane.

"She had a wonderful trip on the island of Kauai, we went hiking, kayaking, ziplining, and snorkeling proving to herself that cancer hadn't won the fight and she was still capable of doing such fun, and exhausting activities!

"Jyrl was diagnosed in August 2021 and began treatments the following month. By March 2022, she was given the all clear but she had to have a double mastectomy and repair surgeries.

"We took the very first flight we could after getting the go-ahead from the doctor in August."

Women are encouraged to regularly examine their breasts for anything unusual that may be a lump, swelling, a change in size, or redness in the nipple area. However, it is worth noting these symptoms can happen with other conditions that aren't cancer.

According to WebMD, breast cancer's overall five-year relative survival rate is 90 percent. The 10-year breast cancer relative survival rate is 84 percent.

It is crucial for cancer survivors to lead a healthy lifestyle after getting the all-clear to reduce the chances of the disease returning.

The American Cancer Society suggested getting to a healthy weight, exercising, and eating a balanced diet to lower the risk of breast cancer. The nationwide voluntary health organization also recommended ditching alcohol as it can raise estrogen levels in the body, which in theory could increase the risk of breast cancer returning. But there is no strong evidence from studies to support this.

In the comments, @southwestair racked up over 3,900 likes, saying: "Congratulations @jyrloldham !! We hope you and yours had such a wonderful time celebrating in Hawaii."

Another Instagrammer said: "That is so special. She will remember that forever."

"Wow, that just absolutely made my day. My heart is full!" another wrote.

It seems this courageous lady isn't the only one who has been applauded as another user said: "Southwest is amazing! They did the same for my daughter. Congrats on your battle with cancer! So happy for you!"

Update 09/27/22, 3:11 a.m. ET: This article was updated to add the original video and comment from the contributor.