I’ve been thinking a lot about television anchors and personalities. As they get older they encounter health issues, like the rest of us, and they get publicized because we think we know them so well. Is this helpful for our own health or does it sometimes go too far?
I’ve been thinking a lot about television anchors and personalities. As they get older they encounter health issues, like the rest of us, and they get publicized because we think we know them so well. Is this helpful for our own health or does it sometimes go too far?
Sometimes there is little for us to do. In my hometown of Seattle, veteran local TV anchor Kathi Goertzen died this year from complications of acoustic neuroma, a tumor inside her skull. My interview with her years ago stays locked in my memory. Viewers followed her long trek through numerous surgeries and radiations. We learned about the illness and the unfairness of it all, but there was little we could do except pray for her and improved medical solutions. Yet awareness about serious health issues is a good thing. Maybe it leads to a viewer getting earlier detection for something that can be treated successfully; maybe it leads to someone taking basic preventive steps like quitting smoking, getting a pap smear or a colonoscopy.
I’ve never been a fan of Hollywood celebrities making money with million dollar contracts from Pharma to pay them for speeches or press tours. It just seems wrong. TV anchors sharing their story with us, their family of viewers, seems ok and can produce some good.
As we age illness is more likely to rear its head. It happens to people regardless of their station in life. For those who are well known to us can their story legitimately help us all learn and improve our own health or the health of our community in the process? I think so. So today I miss Kathi, pray for Robin and appreciate her being so public, understand why it was natural and inspirational for Diane and George to be with their friend on network TV, and I’m going to work hard to be like Charlie, asking the right questions so we can all make better decisions about our health and feel more confident and in-control.
Wishing you and your family the best of health!
Andrew