Cancer means 9th-annual dinner will look different for Thanksgiving Grandma and the stranger she once texted who鈥檚 now family

(CNN) — Despite a breast cancer diagnosis, Thanksgiving Grandma and the young man she met nearly a decade ago will continue their holiday tradition today for the ninth year in a row.

But 鈥檚 annual gathering with will look a little different.

鈥淚 just recently finished up with chemotherapy, so I鈥檓 not 100% yet,鈥� Dench told CNN鈥檚 Jim Acosta on Thursday morning. 鈥淎nd I live about two hours away from where Jamal lives. And so we decided that this year would be best for my health if I stayed at home.鈥�

鈥淲e will FaceTime with each other,鈥� Dench continued. 鈥淚 was looking so forward to meeting his family and having turkey with everybody, but we have to accept things the way they are, and I鈥檓 sure next year is going to be so much better.鈥�

The tradition began when Dench, thinking she was texting one of her six grandchildren, instead mistakenly texted Hinton, who was then a teenager in the middle of a class. The unlikely pair from Arizona since then has fostered delight across the country and beyond, especially around devoted to .

From an accident to a cherished tradition

When Hinton got Dench鈥檚 errant text back in 2016, he thought maybe his own grandmother had gotten a new phone number, so he 鈥� and asked her for a . Realizing quickly it wasn鈥檛 his grandma, Hinton jokingly texted back, asking if he could still grab a plate of Dench鈥檚 Thanksgiving meal.

鈥淥f course you can,鈥� she responded. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what grandmas do 鈥� feed everyone!鈥�

Surprised by her kindness, Hinton ran to social media and posted the exchange 鈥� and the invitation, which he ended up accepting, went viral.

As they鈥檝e celebrated Thanksgivings over the years, Dench and Hinton have grown closer. Through good times and bad, they鈥檝e let nothing get in the way of their cherished tradition.

鈥淚t鈥檚 not really a friendship. We鈥檙e more a family now,鈥� Hinton told CNN on Thursday. 鈥淚t means the world. We talk about anything. We go through everything together.鈥�

Hinton stepped up in support, for instance, after Wanda鈥檚 husband Lonnie died in early 2020 of complications from Covid-19. And Dench has been a big part of Hinton鈥檚 life, welcoming his girlfriend into the family fold.

Hinton even went with Dench to get some body art, he told Acosta.

鈥淗er first tattoo is a little bit smaller than my first one, but we鈥檝e jumped through everything together, and I think that鈥檚 what really makes us family: that we鈥檙e not just together on Thanksgiving,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e kind of try to hang out anytime we can.鈥�

鈥業t turned out to be something amazing鈥�

Dench announced her in a social media post uploaded by Hinton in October after a CT scan for bronchitis revealed a lump in her breast. She soon got a mammogram that confirmed the cancer.

The diagnosis initially shocked her, Dench wrote, but perhaps like her long-ago misfired text, it has introduced her to 鈥渨onderful people鈥� during her treatment.

鈥淚鈥檓 67 now, and breast cancer doesn鈥檛 run in my family, so I didn鈥檛 think that this was ever going to be an issue in my life. But it鈥檚 here, and I鈥檓 dealing with it,鈥� Dench said Thursday. 鈥淚t has been a journey and an awakening.鈥�

For Hinton, the unexpected Thanksgiving tradition and friendship with Dench continues to mean a lot.

鈥淧ersonally, I鈥檝e always wanted to make friends with everyone. I always felt like any- and everyone could bring any type of joy into your life, and I鈥檓 glad that I actually reached out to Wanda when I did,鈥� he said.

鈥淓ven though I was joking, it turned out to be something amazing.鈥�