Peter Jennings Has Lung Cancer

[Don'tLiveonMoon]

This has not been a good week. I just found out that Peter Jennings, probably my favorite news anchor, has lung cancer. I wish him the very best, but I've seen lung cancer at work and it's insidious. I hope they caught it really early and there's something they can do...
Erin



ABC news anchor Peter Jennings has been diagnosed with lung cancer, his colleagues were told Tuesday.

ABC News President David Westin informed the staff of ABC News in a memo saying Jennings, 66, would begin outpatient treatment and expects to continue to anchor "World News Tonight."

"There will be good days and bad, which means some days I may be cranky and some days really cranky," Jennings told ABC News employees in an e-mail, according to The Associated Press.

The text of the memo from Westin is as follows:

"This morning, Peter Jennings told his senior staff at World News Tonight that yesterday afternoon he was diagnosed with lung cancer. ... He will begin outpatient treatment next week here in New York. It's both Peter's and my expectation that he will anchor World News Tonight during the period of treatment to the extent he can do so comfortably; but, we should also expect him to be off the broadcast from time to time, depending on how he feels.

"Charlie Gibson, Elizabeth Vargas, and others will be substituting for Peter as necessary and when their other responsibilities permit.

"All of us at ABC News have watched over the years as Peter has led us on various assignments with strength and with courage. We've done our best to support him in these endeavors. Now, Peter's been given a tough assignment. He's already bringing to this new challenge the courage and strength we've seen so often in his reporting from the field and in anchoring ABC News.

"I know that all of us will give him every bit of support that he needs and asks for. Peter will once again lead the way, but we will stand with him at every turn."

Jennings has been the sole anchor of "World News Tonight" since 1983. He was part of a group of anchors, with Frank Reynolds and Max Robinson, for several years before that. He also anchored ABC's evening news show in the 1960s, when he was in his late 20s.

 

[King Jim]

Oh, thats so sad.

 

[Ziffel]

Knew a woman who died of lung cancer this past March at age 58. She was getting chemo therapy also , like Peter Jennings. And like Peter she was a smoker. Very sad. My prayers and best wishes are with him.

 

[redBoobergurl]

My uncle died of lung cancer when I was just a little girl. I don't remember much about it except that there was really nothing they could do for him because it was so advanced. He had it because of asbestos though, he used to work with it before they knew it was dangerous so he didn't use a mask. It's been almost 20 years since he passed, I hope that Peter Jennings has a better outcome.

 

[Don'tLiveonMoon]

I know several people who have died of it, always within a few months of being diagnosed. My grandpa, like Peter, hadn't smoked in years, but it still caught up with him...
Erin

 

[chestermcdragon]

i dont mean to be mean but i cant really feel sorry for him because its all his fault for smoking,people who smoke are idiots.

 

[Don'tLiveonMoon]

I loathe cigarettes. I can't understand how anyone could want to smoke them, but whatever the reasons, no one deserves the disease they often reap. And he quit 20 years ago, so obviously he made the effort. The downfalls of smoking weren't so obvious back then; it wasn't pounded into his head from a young age that smoking is bad, so it seems unfair to hold earlier generations to the same standard as our "Just Say No" Generation.
Erin

 

[Dantecat]

You know what have perfect? Stop making tobacco.

That way nobody smokes at all which nobody is suppose to do at all.It's really bad.

 

[McFraggle]

Get well soon Peter.

 

[ryhoyarbie]

Out of all the world news anchors from Rather to Brokaw to Jennings, I've always liked Peter the best. I hope he gets wel and can be treated for the cancer and make a full recovery.

*By the way, the other anchor for ABC News I like is Charles Gibson. I think he, just like Jennings, has a good television personality.*

ryan