Posted on 04/05/2005 8:05:50 AM PDT by waynebobo
Edited on 04/05/2005 8:16:38 AM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
ABC news anchor Peter Jennings has lung cancer.
XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX TUE APRIL 05, 2005 10:43:02 ET XXXXX
ABCNEWS PETER JENNINGS LUNG CANCER
**Exclusive**
Peter Jennings and David Westin sent the following e-mails to their ABC News colleagues this morning:
David Westin's e-mail
This morning, Peter Jennings told his senior staff at World News Tonight that yesterday afternoon he was diagnosed with lung cancer. I include below the full text of Peter’s note to the group of people with whom he works most closely. 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.
Peter’s Email
Dear All – Forgive me the group mailing – but it seems the easiest way to tell a lot of people I care for ….. about a change in my life. I have been diagnosed with lung cancer. Yes, it was quite a surprise. As you all know, this is a challenge. I begin chemo-therapy next week. I will continue to do the broadcast. There will be good days and bad, which means that some days I may be cranky and some days really cranky! Almost 10 million Americans are living with cancer. I am sure I will learn from them how to cope with the facts of life that none of us anticipated. In all the years I have worked here I have had the most outstanding support from this news division. Hundreds of you have been like family. It feels good to have such a family right now.
Peter
Prayers for Mr. Jennings. Even more, prayers for his repentence and faith in Christ.
Just curious, Im sitting in front of my computer working (I work with Cancer Patients)
How many of you have been touched by Cancer?
How many of you have SURVIVED Cancer??
Just curious..
Hope for the best!
There is no conclusive scientific evidence that second hand smoke causes cancer.
Agreed!
In 1993, the EPA announced that second-hand smoke was "responsible for approximately 3,000 lung cancer deaths each year in nonsmoking adults," and that it " impairs the respiratory health of hundreds of thousands of people." In a 1994 pamphlet the EPA said that the eleven studies it based its decision on were not by themselves conclusive, and that they collectively assigned second-hand smoke a risk factor of 1.19. (For reference, a risk factor below 3.0 is too small for action by the EPA. or for publication in the New England Journal of Medicine, for example.) Furthermore, since there was no statistical association at the 95% coinfidence limits, the EPA lowered the limit to 90%. They then classified second hand smoke as a Group A Carcinogen.
This was openly fraudulent science, but it formed the basis for bans on smoking in restaurants, offices, and airports. California banned public smoking in 1995. Soon, no claim was too extreme. By 1998, the Christian Science Monitor was saying that "Second-hand smoke is the nation's third-leading preventable cause of death." The American Cancer Society announced that 53,000 people died each year of second-hand smoke. The evidence for this claim is nonexistent.
In 1998, a Federal judge held that the EPA had acted improperly, had "committed to a conclusion before research had begun", and had "disregarded information and made findings on selective information." The reaction of Carol Browner, head of the EPA was: "We stand by our science….there's wide agreement. The American people certainly recognize that exposure to second hand smoke brings…a whole host of health problems." Again, note how the claim of consensus trumps science. In this case, it isn't even a consensus of scientists that Browner evokes! It's the consensus of the American people.
Meanwhile, ever-larger studies failed to confirm any association. A large, seven-country WHO study in 1998 found no association. Nor have well-controlled subsequent studies, to my knowledge. Yet we now read, for example, that second hand smoke is a cause of breast cancer. At this point you can say pretty much anything you want about second-hand smoke.
I grew up admiring him and thinking that if he said it, it must be Truth with a capital "T". As his star rose in the 80's, I learned to listen to him differently. His influence on events was chilling, like the day the market fell in 1987. His constant reporting contributed to its rolling decline, like he was commenting on a sports event. Later, I finally got it that he wanted the market to drop because knew the political implications of a bad market upon a Republican President.
No longer do I adore him. In fact, I realize that, in spite of all his material success and praise within the liberal world for his promotion of their agenda, I have done something he could not--I quit smoking nearly 30 years ago.
My Dad had head and neck cancer. He had a tumor in his left periform sinus which was wrapped around his carotid artery, making it inoperable. He battled it for five years. He went through (very) damaging radiation treratment \s and chemotherapy. Last summer he contracted an MRSA infection in the hospital. He fractured his hip last July and ended up with osteomyelitis in his left femur (IMO due to his negligent orthopedist never treating the broken hip - because of the MRSA infection. The doctor never did any follow-up CT-scans to verify that the fracture was in fact healed and ordered physical therapy before the fracture was healed, further damaging the joint and allowing the infection to enter his femur)! He ended up needing long term intravenous antibiotics (Vancomycin) which is very harsh on the blood vessels. I believe this, in conjunction with the vascular system already being compromised by the spreading tumor, caused his right exterior jugular to open up and he "bled out". Not a pretty sight but thankfully a rather peaceful death for him. He basically "fell asleep" dur to the loss of blood.
He died this past December 24th at home with my Mom and me. He was only 60 years old.
My grandfather also had cancer. I was very young (5) when he died at age 81.
Here's hoping Mr. Jennings can recover from this dreadful disease. May he and his family be comforted.
Laz, I'm praying right beside you.
Oh. (blushes) thanks for the correction.
Nicely said, Laz.
Prayers for his life in hopes that he comes to know the Lord. God's grace is sufficient.
My prayers are for Peter and his family. I abhor his views, but he has a right to have them.
i know i'm not much of a saint.
April 12 marks the two year anniversary of my father dying from lung cancer. Back in 1998 he had 40% of each lung removed due to lung cancer and they got all of it. Then 6 months later he starts smoking again. We asked, no BEGGED him to stop, he did not - and he's dead.
He smoked most of his adult life. He was 65. He is missed by his children.
Terrible news. I don't care for the bias as ABC etc. But I am sorry to hear this news and wish him all the best.
have heard that chemo can cause horrible side effects. My cousin was diagnosed with breast cancer. She came home and died of a heart attack just minutes after her first treatment. Not really sure if it was related, but makes you wonder...
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My mother underwent chemo and radiation after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 1997. She went into remission then developed Acute Myleo. Leukemia (the worst one), a rare but lethal side effect of the radiation. She was given 50% chance if she went inpatient for more agressive chemo. She did, it was miserable, then my aunt donated her bone marrow to try to cure her, it was a perfect match. Mom went through three years of he!! and pain, and luckily the bone marrow transplant worked, but not without complications, her legs became parilyzed, she was almost blind and developed opportunistic infections constantly. Then her breast cancer came back, spread to the lung, and she was dead in Decemer 2002 of a kidney infection. It was an awful, painful death that I wouldn't wish on anyone.
I have never liked his liberal politics and I felt he did measurable harm to our cause in Iraq but this is terrible news. I do wish him well and a speedy recovery.
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