It always amazes me how many people feel compelled to call or email our newsroom to make a comment about our newscasts and our team. Our viewers have opinions about everything from the location of the logo in the corner of the screen to the color of a particular news anchor’s hair. Sometimes people just call because they want to vent their anger or express their support for an issue we’re covering. I can’t tell you how many hundreds and thousands of calls and emails we get over the course of a year. Even so, there is one, life-changing comment from a viewer that I will never forget.
Next week, our evening co-anchor, Tara Thomas, will tell this remarkable story and we’re doing everthing we can to let people know about it. The story starts with a viewer who noticed a small lump on Tara’s neck. She emailed Tara, telling her what she thought it was, and urged Tara to get it checked out. At first, we all thought it was just a shadow caused by the lighting on the anchor desk. But as more comments came in, Tara did the responsible thing and had a doctor check it out. It turns out the viewer was right. The bump turned out to be a serious medical condition that demanded attention. The threat was real. The treatment could have left Tara with a disfiguring surgical scar. But it didn’t turn out that way.
Next week, we’ll meet the viewer who noticed the lump and changed Tara’s life by talking back to the TV. We’ll show you how some pioneering doctors dealt with Tara’s issue and explore some techniques on the cutting edge of medicine. We’ll tell you in advance that this story does have a happy ending, but getting to it will be an amazing journey you won’t want to miss. Watch Tara’s Special Assignment report next Tuesday and Wednesday nights on the KWWL News at Six and Ten.
Jon Okerstrom
News Director
Posted under From the Corner Office
This post was written by jjarvis on November 8, 2007
A disfiguring scar? That’s what you and Tara were worried about? What about the fear of cancer? What about days and weeks of sickening therapy? What about losing your hair, your hearing, and the chance of having more children? These are REAL fears that people who find lumps in their necks face - the SCAR is the beauty of it.
At 15-years-old I was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer - from a lump in my neck. 12 years later, I wear my scars - and the burns of radiation - with pride. Instead of feeling the need to hide from the disease, I’m able to look at myself in the mirror and say “I’m a survivor.”
The scar I proudly display runs from either side of my left ear (which they removed during 8-hour surgery) to the center of my neck. A disfiguring scar? Maybe to the shallow, dim-witted. The burns from the radiation therapy cover most of my left cheek. They get brighter if I get a tan, they turn purple if I try make-up to cover them up.
But come on!! I’m alive! It’s been 12 years and I’ve never had a recurrence! I’ve graduated high school, college, gotten married and had a child! And then I see a commercial about Tara Thomas and her “disfiguring scar” and her horrific search to find a surgeon who could perform sugery without leaving said scar. Please get over yourselves and cover something newsworthy. Those of us who carry the real scars and live with the effects of having CANCER have better things to do with our lives than watch a selfish, vain woman discuss something she knows so very little about.
Christa,
Thanks for your comments. With all due respect, before mentioning the scar I did say, “The bump turned out to be a serious medical condition that demanded attention. The threat was real.” I’m certain Tara will talk about her early concerns about the lump being cancerous during her reports.
We have no intention if trivializing the risk, nor what cancer survivors go through. At the same time, the surgical alternative Tara discovered by doing her own research is remarkable and worthy of coverage. I would urge you to watch her reports. I think you’ll find Tara will put things into the proper perspective.
Jon Okerstrom
News Director
I couldn’t agree with Christa more….I have had many dealings with cancer , my sister who was 1 yr. older than me died of breast cancer 3 yrs. ago leaving a husband and 2 kids behind at the age of 33 and the LAST thing she ever worried about was a SCAR. She had countless surgeries that disfigured her and she NEVER once worried about the outer appearance….I know that my sister wasn’t in the public eye once she got sick but to focus on that in your segment made me sick to my stomach.
I am glad you don’t have cancer! Early-detection is VERY important and was very wonderful to let people know about that so thank you, but to go out of the Cedar Valley so that you wouldn’t have a SCAR, when we clearly have VERY wonderful and capable Dr.’s here that could have done the surgery and TELEVISE it astounds me.
Maybe I just took it the wrong way but I am postive I wasn’t the only one so maybe before you do a segment like that next time focus on something else rather than how it might change your physical appearance negatively unless it’s a weight loss segment of course!
I am so glad for you that it wasn’t cancer. In 2002, I wasn’t in that shape. I have survived a rare form of thyroid cancer (medullary). I went through three surgeries and 35 days of radiation. I listened to your story with intense suspense of how it was going to turn out. I started with a lump in my neck too. Because my form of cancer is so rare my doctor sent me to Mayo Clinic and I return every six months to recheck it. Its a scare you don’t know what it is like until you’ve been there. I pray every day for people who might find out that they have the big “C”. God Bless and I am glad it had a happy ending for you.
Thanks for your comments, Bonni and Deedee,
We’re very glad Tara’s lump wasn’t cancer too. We’ve received lots of favorable comments from people who thanked us for reporting on Tara’s experience and on the surgical alternative she found on her own.
I hope her stories put a few things into perspective: First, cancer concerns and the health implications of having a thyroid cyst were always the first concern. The second was finding a treatment alternative that gave Tara the best chance of a speedy recovery with minimal impact on her work. It wasn’t about vanity or about dismissing the very real threat of cancer. If you could find a less-invasive surgical alternative that achieved the same end result as a more-invasive surgery, wouldn’t you?
From my point of view, this story was about someone in the public eye revealing how she handled a very personal and private health situation, with the goal of helping some of our viewers. Tara didn’t ask to do a story on this. I asked her to do it. The story began with a single viewer writing Tara an e-mail telling her about the bump on her neck. It ends with Tara being cancer free and our viewers learning something about the condition and one form of treatment. Consider it Tara “paying it forward.”
Jon Okerstrom
News Director