Howard Stern was elated to have his longtime sidekick back to work on Wednesday morning after uterine cancer kept her out of the studio for a year and a half.

Robin Quivers had to undergo radiation, chemotherapy, and two surgeries to attack the grapefruit-sized tumor in her uterus and still only missed two days of work because she connected with Stern via remote from her home.

“It never occurred to me not to be on the air,” Quivers said. “When I was on the air, I was pain-free.”

Stern wasn’t very optimistic about Quivers’ future after he learned about her illness, saying he thought she was a “goner” in the beginning. The atmosphere in the studio after her return this week was hopeful and triumphant, and somewhat emotional.

“Seriously, I’ve been praying for this day and I’m really happy that you are here and it makes me very, very happy,” Stern said.