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On Peter Jennings Lung Cancer Announcement

By Jeralyn, Section Media
Posted on Wed Apr 06, 2005 at 02:55:38 PM EST
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A big thanks to Crooks and Liars for locating and uploading the video of Peter Jenning's announcement last night of his lung cancer. ABC News, if you can believe it, is charging for the video.

The video is sad. Jenning's voice is scratchy, and he tries to put a brave face and display a stoic outlook on his condition. One of the things that has made Jennings (and Brokaw) superior anchors is that they never made the news about them. Their personalities really didn't come through in their newscasts. It was always about the story. Even in this announcement, Jennings half sounds like he's reporting on his condition. He extends compassion to others who are battling cancer and tells us that one is a survivor from the moment of diagnosis. He doesn't allow himself even a moment of self-pity on the air--although his last line has a touch of self-effacing humor to it.

Some doctors are speculating that his cancer must be advanced because he is going right into chemotherapy without first having surgery. I suspect only Jenning's doctors know for sure how advanced his conditon is. Lung cancer is serious, but there are survivors.

The wife of a prominent lawyer and friend of mine in New York has been suffering from lung cancer for over two years. She was beyond operating when diagnosed. Yet I saw her in Mexico and in Los Angeles after her diagnosis. She looked good both times, and was able to enjoy going out to dinner with a small group of friends. She attended a large, mostly standing up outdoor function one afternoon, and a reception that same evening. She has good days and bad days. But non-surgical treatment (and her devoted husband) have kept her alive and productive a lot longer than most would have thought.

So, my best wishes go out to Peter Jennings. I think he's a survivor and I hope he fights like hell. Like Brokaw, he is an American icon, an institution. It's way too soon to say goodbye.

[And no, I'm not leaving Dan Rather out of the group because I think less of him. I just never watched him much so I don't feel the familiarity with him that I do with Jennings and Brokaw.]

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    On Peter Jennings Lung Cancer Announcement | 14 comments (14 topical)
    Re: On Peter Jennings Lung Cancer Announcement (none / 0) (#1)
    by desertswine on Wed Apr 06, 2005 at 03:54:43 PM EST
    Good luck to Jennings. He was always the best of the Big Three.

    Re: On Peter Jennings Lung Cancer Announcement (none / 0) (#2)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Apr 06, 2005 at 04:21:28 PM EST
    beautiful man, beautiful soul- deserves to live--hoping that in this case--'whom the gods love [does NOT]die young...'

    Re: On Peter Jennings Lung Cancer Announcement (none / 0) (#3)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Wed Apr 06, 2005 at 06:13:23 PM EST
    Larry King devoted his show last night to Peter Jennings and to the medical issues relating to smoking and lung cancer. Here's the transcript if you missed seeing it. (The video clips transcript contains quotations from Peter Jennings' on-air announcement.) Unfortunately, according to related news reports, Mr. Jennings' cancer is "inoperable," which is why he is not having surgery and is going straight into chemotherapy. I'm afraid that the oncologist from Cedars-Sinai Cancer Center in NYC, Dr. Ronald Natale, who was the medical guest expert on Larry King Live, indicated that the prognosis is not very good in such cases, but, he and others (inc. Larry King) did also stress that one's positive attitude can be an important factor in survival.

    Re: On Peter Jennings Lung Cancer Announcement (none / 0) (#4)
    by clio on Wed Apr 06, 2005 at 06:41:56 PM EST
    This announcement brought back many memories. My husband died of lung cancer. He, too, had quit smoking after many years. In fact, I never