Sheinelle Jones, a familiar face on the 3rd Hour of the TODAY Show, made her return to Studio 1-A Friday at 7 a.m.
The co-host, who has been away following the loss of her husband, Uche Ojeh, sat down for a personal interview with Savannah Guthrie to share her deeply personal journey of caring for her husband up until his death in late May. Jones left the show in January to take care of her family.
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When Guthrie asked Jones how she was doing, Jones said that as of that interview, she was okay. But from a bigger picture, she said her heart is shattered.
"The life that I've known since I was 19 is no more," Jones shared.
"I've always wanted kids, and I have three kids of my own now, and they've lost their dad and I'm their mom. It sucks. So how am I doing? It's day to day. I'm proud of myself for how I've coped so far. I'm proud of my kids for how we've been able to try to pull through. But it's horrible. It's just horrible. But I'm here, I'm breathing and I'm OK."
Jones and her husband were college sweethearts and married for 17 years.
During the interview, Jones opened up about how she and her children are grieving the loss of their father and why she calls this experience a "beautiful nightmare." She reflected on her journey by caring for her husband during his battle with brain cancer to grieving this loss.
She also shared personal revelations she's made along the way and a message of hope she hopes to offer for anyone facing their own struggles on dealing with personal deaths.
Her husband died in late May following an aggressive form of brain cancer called glioblastoma. He was 45.
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“There are no words for the pain we feel for Sheinelle and their three young children. Uche was an incredible person. We all loved him,” Guthrie said.
Jones will officially resume her TODAY Show duties on Monday.
Durham on cutting edge of brain cancer treatment research
For the estimated 15,000 people diagnosed with glioblastoma every year, the odds are long, but research being done in Durham offers hope.
As far back as 2009, researchers at Duke University's Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center researchers were working on a vaccine to treat the disease.
More recently, the Tisch Center has added new mental and emotional support for patients, their families and their caregivers. Durham native Rebecca Feinglos donated $250,000 to create the Susan & Mark Feinglos Grief initiative in honor of her parents.