News Anchors At 2 Chicago TV Stations Take Time Off For Medical Reasons

CHICAGO, IL — News anchors at two Chicago TV stations — Rob Stafford of NBC 5 Chicago (WMAQ-TV) and Hosea Sanders of ABC 7 Chicago (WLS-TV) — announced they will be taking medical leaves of absence beginning this week.

Stafford — who has co-anchored NBC 5's news at 5, 6 and 10 p.m. weeknights with Allison Rossati since 2009 — was recently diagnosed with a rare blood disease, and he will undergo a bone marrow transplant and chemotherapy to treat it, the station reported Wednesday. His leave is expected to last several months, and he travels to the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota Friday, March 3, to begin treatment, the report added.

"First the good news. They caught 'it' early and my prognosis is very good," Stafford wrote in a letter telling his NBC 5 colleagues about his medical leave. " 'It' is amyloidosis, a rare blood disorder where an abnormal protein (amyloid) is produced in bone marrow and can be deposited in organs. Before you read some scary stuff online, two facts: I'm an early stage 2 out of 4 and so far the effects are confined to my kidneys. I'm very lucky."

The 58-year-old broadcaster, who has been with the station since 2007, will use his Facebook page to provide updates on his treatment.

"I consider this early diagnosis a gift that left to my own devices I would not have received," he wrote in his letter. "I'm going to take full advantage of my good fortune and hit this head on with the most aggressive and proven treatment available."

ABC 7's Sanders announced Tuesday on Facebook that he had recently been diagnosed with prostate cancer, and he would be taking time off for surgery, which he underwent Wednesday morning.

"I'm in the care of some outstanding professionals and I'm very optimistic about the outcome," Sanders, 59, wrote. "My doctors tell me that African-American men are especially at risk of developing prostate cancer. My father was one of those men.

"I share this information to remind you to get yourself checked out. It's a simple blood test. It could save your life."

Sanders, who has been with the station since 1994, co-anchors the ABC 7-produced "Eyewitness News on The U" at 7 p.m. weeknights on WCIU-TV (Channel 26).

On Wednesday morning, Stafford posted a Facebook update telling his Chicago TV colleague he was thinking of him as he underwent surgery.

Later Wednesday, Stafford also used a short Facebook update and video recorded from his home to thank viewers for their support and read the letter he sent co-workers about his condition and his leave.

Go to the Facebook pages of NBC 5's Rob Stafford and ABC 7's Hosea Sanders to wish the news anchors well as they undergo surgeries to treat their medical conditions.

Hosea Sanders (left) and Rob Stafford (Sanders photo via ABC 7 Chicago (WLS-TV) | Stafford photo via NBC 5 Chicago (WMAQ-TV))

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