Beloved NC news anchor back at work after cancer diagnosis. ‘Been waiting for this day’
A beloved North Carolina newscaster is returning to work months after she was diagnosed with cancer.
“I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time and I’m so happy that it’s here,” Julie Luck said, according to WFMY.
Luck, an anchor at the Greensboro-based station, said she was scheduled to be back at work June 8. The day before, a video posted to Twitter showed her ringing a bell as she celebrated the end of chemotherapy treatments.
“Chemo treatments are over and my cancer is in remission,” she wrote in the post. “Prayers have been answered. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”
The emotional moment came after the TV broadcaster said she was diagnosed with colon cancer in January. At the time, she went on medical leave and encouraged others to get routine screenings.
“Don’t wait,” Luck said in a WFMY report. “If you have delayed your colonoscopy because of the pandemic, do me a favor — schedule one today. Early detection is key.”
While people at average risk for colon cancer should start screenings when they are about 45 years old, health experts urge those with family history or other factors that put them at increased risk to begin them earlier. Signs of colon cancer include changes in “bowel habits,” discomfort, tiredness and weight loss, according to Mayo Clinic.
Luck, who reported having no symptoms before her colonoscopy, said she was grateful for the impact she made on others.
“Thank you to the numerous people who’ve reached out to tell me they’ve booked their screenings,” she wrote in March. “It’s rewarding to turn a negative into a positive.”
After her diagnosis, Luck said she underwent surgery and had several chemo infusions. She also was inundated with notes from strangers who wished her well.
“People at work will drop off the cards to my house, and these are stacks and stacks of cards,” she told WFMY in May. “I read them and I’m always crying because they’re so sweet, and for people to take the time out — people I’ve never even met — it’s so touching and I’m so grateful for it.”
By late May, Luck said her cancer was considered to be in “clinical remission.”
“My journey doesn’t end here,” she wrote on Facebook. “I will need five years of monitoring which includes regular CT scans, blood work and colonoscopies to check for a possible recurrence. This is normal procedure.
“While I may be years away from being declared cured, I’m grateful and relieved that the latest lab tests showed favorable results and normal markers. This is the news I’ve been hoping for.”
Luck, who had been at the anchor desk on weeknights, was born in Southern California. She started at WFMY in 2013 and said she will return to the station on a “reduced” schedule.
That was welcome news to several viewers and colleagues who posted on social media.
“Praise that you are on the (mend) and welcome back to News 2,” one person commented on Facebook.
Another person wrote: “The day we’ve all been waiting for! Congratulations!”
This story was originally published June 8, 2022 at 11:57 AM.
