WKBN to Air Story on Guthrie's Cancer Fight
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- It has been 29 days since Channel 27 viewers in Youngstown saw the station's chief meteorologist, Don Guthrie, forecasting the weather.
Many of those viewers have called or emailed to ask why they haven’t seen Guthrie, WKBN said. "Out of respect for his privacy, the station had not told viewers, until today, that Guthrie is fighting late stage pancreatic cancer."
According to an announcement released today by WKBN, the 71-year-old Guthrie recently invited his friend and former long-time competitor, Stan Boney of WYTV 33 News, to tell this story. In an in-depth interview, Guthrie and his family open up about this emotional ordeal. He describes the months of physical pain, medical tests and uncertainty that came to a shocking moment as his wife of 40 years, Debbie, told him the news she’d just gotten from doctors.
“She said they got the results of the PET scan back, and it's the pancreas. And we both just lost it. I mean it's just devastating. It's news nobody wants to hear,” said Guthrie.
Guthrie is undergoing radiation treatment at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus. He said he knows the reputation of pancreatic cancer, but he plans to beat it.
In his interview, Guthrie even sets a date for wanting to return to the job he loves at Channel 27.
The very personal story of his struggle airs on WKBN 27 First News and WYTV 33 news tonight at 6 p.m. It will also be available online at WKBN.com.
WKBN said it would forward any notes and well wishes to Guthrie. Viewers are invited to mail their cards to 3930 Sunset Boulevard, 44512 or via email to [email protected].
SOURCE: WKBN Channel 27
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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