© 2024 MJH Life Sciences™ and CURE - Oncology & Cancer News for Patients & Caregivers. All rights reserved.
Jamie Cesanek, Assistant Web Editor for CURE®, joined the team in March 2021. She graduated from Indiana University Bloomington, where she studied journalism and minored in sociology and French. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, running, or enjoying time with friends and family. Email her at jcesanek@curetoday.com.
From the deaths of Jovita Moore and Jerry Remy due to cancer, to Boyd Huppert’s myeloma diagnosis, here’s what’s happening in the cancer landscape this week.
Jovita Moore, an Atlanta news anchor, died from brain cancer.
Jovita Moore, who was a longtime news anchor for Atlanta news station WSB-TV, died at age 53 from brain cancer last week.
Co-anchor Justin Farmer shared that Moore died peacefully and “as she wanted,” according to Atlanta Daily World. She was surrounded by family and died at home. She is survived by her three children – Shelby, Joshua and Lauren – and her mother, Yvonne.
Moore was initially diagnosed with glioblastoma in April after she had been feeling disoriented and her doctors found two tumors on her brain.
“I was concerned about why, all of a sudden, I was forgetful, and disoriented. Just not feeling myself, and feeling like I was in a fog,” she said at the time.
She went through surgery, radiation and chemotherapy treatments but it was ultimately understood that the cancer would be fatal. She urged people to get checked if anything feels unusual, as her cancer began with an odd headache.
Many shared posts paying tribute to Moore on social media, including voting rights activist and former Georgia representative Stacey Abrams.
“Today, we mourn the passing of (Jovita Moore), who used her voice and platform to highlight important issues impacting Atlantans for more than 20 years,” Abrams wrote. “May God bless her family, loved ones, and (WSB-TV) colleagues in their time of grief.”
Journalist Boyd Huppert shared his multiple myeloma diagnosis.
KARE 11 journalist Boyd Huppert revealed that he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma about a month ago. He discussed the diagnosis with Jordana Green of WCCO Radio, who is a leukemia survivor herself.
"Part of the reason I decided I wanted to talk about this publicly is to remind people to pay attention to what their body is telling them," Huppert said.
Huppert, who is 59, came to receive his diagnosis after he experienced symptoms including hemorrhaging behind his eye, fatigue and bloody noses. A trip to the doctor revealed an early diagnosis. He will undergo treatment for the disease, with a goal of getting his levels under control so he can have a bone marrow transplant in the beginning of 2022.
"I've lived a charmed life ... I want every day that I can get, and that's my focus right now,” he said, according to Bring Me The News.
Boston Red Sox broadcaster Jerry Remy died from lung cancer.
Jerry Remy, a former Major League Baseball (MLB) infielder who spent many years as a broadcaster for the Boston Red Sox, died this past weekend from lung cancer.
He was 68 years old at the time of his death and had been dealing with the disease for many years.
"We are saddened by the loss of a beloved player, broadcaster and 13-year cancer warrior," Red Sox principal owner John Henry said in a statement. "Jerry's love and connection to baseball didn't allow anything to stand between the game and him, including for many years cancer. He devoted his entire career to baseball and whether from his seat in the clubhouse or his perch above the field in the broadcast booth, he took generations of rising Red Sox stars and a multitude of fans along for the ride with him.”
Remy spent over 40 years with the Red Sox, playing many roles – player, coach and broadcaster. He had shared in August that he would be taking some time away from broadcasting to deal with cancer treatments.
"I will battle this with everything I have. I'm so grateful for the support from NESN, the Red Sox and all of you. I hope that I'll be rejoining you in your living rooms soon,” he wrote on Twitter at the time.
Remy is survived by his wife, Phoebe; his children Jared, Jordan and Jenna; and his grandchildren Dominik and Arianna.
"Like everyone else in Red Sox Nation today, I'm absolutely devastated by Jerry's passing,” said Alex Cora, Red Sox manager. “We connected because of our love for the game of baseball. I will miss all of our conversations about the game and just passing time together throughout the years, whether in the clubhouse or dugout."
A father-son duo went viral for dancing video in celebration of becoming cancer-free.
Kennith Allen Thomas, a father of four, has gone viral online for a heartwarming series of videos where he dances with his son, Kristian, who is a leukemia survivor.
When Kristian was declared cancer-free in 2018, the pair danced together outside their home in matching outfits, sharing the joyful moment not only with each other but thousands of viewers.
The viral video was titled “When your son is cancer-free.” Thomas, who works at a New Jersey dance studio, limited his time at work to help his wife, Josilyne, care for Kristian and their other three children.
Each day of Kristian’s treatment, the duo would dance together to try to keep positivity alive in their family.
"I took all those strategies and tools that I learned as a dancer and choreographer, and I set the tone for my family, set the tone for the doctors, the team," Thomas told Fox News.
After 149 days, Kristian was declared cancer-free, which Thomas considered “a miracle, but I believe that was due to us doing our father-son dance routines.”
Kristian is now 36 months cancer-free.
For more news on cancer updates, research and education, don’t forget to subscribe to CURE®’s newsletters here.
Related Content: