Medical Emergency Knocks Veteran Pittsburgh Meteorologist Off The Air

PITTSBURGH, PA — In a 12-minute video posted on social media, WTAE-TV meteorologist Jeff Verszyla has detailed the health emergency that has kept him off the air recently.

"The past week has been perhaps one of the more challenging, scary and sobering weeks that I can remember over the course of my lifetime," he said in the Facebook post.

Verszyla was taken by ambulance to a hospital he did not identify following increasing pain in his back on May 18. He said doctors diagnosed a back spasm, declined to run tests and sent him home.

The next day Verszyla awoke still experiencing excruciating pain. His wife drove him to another medical facility, where doctors performed tests and offered this sobering diagnosis: Verszyla had a pulmonary embolism in his right lung.

Verszyla spent time in the hospital until his condition improved. An emotional Verszyla said he is at home recuperating and hopes to return to the air soon. He did not provide a timetable as to when he might be back.

Verszyla said he decided to share his story in hopes of potentially helping others in the future.

His message: "You are always, and always will be, your best health advocate. You know your body and know how you feel. You need to be the person to pursue the answers when it comes to your health."