LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Sign language interpreter Virginia Moore has become a familiar presence, Kentuckians are accustomed to seeing her at Governor Andy Beshear’s coronavirus briefings each day. But her sudden absence raised questions. 

In a taped message played at Thursday's briefing, she revealed that she’s battling stage one uterine cancer and will undergo a hysterectomy.

Moore checked in with Spectrum News 1 just hours before her surgery and seemed to be in good spirits despite the obvious stress and uncertainty.

When asked how she was feeling, Moore said, ”Very nervous and apprehensive just like anyone else would be, but the well wishes around the Commonwealth have been so much! Everybody has given me so much strength that it's just another day. I'll get through and we will come out of this on the other side. I also hope women have heard the message and will take care of themselves." 

She knows the chaos of daily life means sometimes women put their health on the back burner. But being proactive when it comes to their health can mean the difference between life or death.

Moore shared the circumstances surrounding the discovery of her cancer.

She said, "I put some things off for myself and the doctor looked at me and said why did you wait? And there was no excuse, we just do, we get busy and don't think about it, and I just don't want another woman out there to wait. So I decided to go ahead and become public about it and it seems now several women have said 'I'm going to get my mammogram' or 'I'm going to have a pap smear.' That has spurred me on to feel like maybe I'm doing the right thing because it’s so important."

Moore also took time out to tell us she wants to remind Kentuckians to continue wearing masks and following other guidelines to guard against COVID-19. Her condition makes her immune system even more vulnerable right now, but it's something she's always taken extremely seriously. 

”It's just such a little thing to show that we care for humanity and we care for each other," Moore said.