Peter Jennings Has Lung Cancer

by La Shawn on April 5, 2005

in General

I’m very sorry to hear that.

This is an e-mail sent to his colleagues.

{ 14 comments }

Frank Zavisca 04.05.05 at 2:52 pm: La Shawn:

I am saddened by the announcement by Peter Jennings that he has lung cancer.

As a medical doctor, I suspect strongly that he smoked.

As a public figure, if he was a smoker, he can do more good encouraging others not to smoke than he could ever do reporting the news.

I wish him well. .
Rose 04.05.05 at 5:02 pm: I, too, was very sad to hear about Peter Jennings cancer diagnosis. My mother’s husband had lung cancer and died from it after a year. Smoking was the cause. It made me want to yank every cigarette out of people’s hands for a while. People, you don’t realize what you are doing not only to yourself, but missing out on the lives of others, if you choose to smoke. Please stop, and live! Your family will thank you.
Scott Ferguson 04.05.05 at 5:23 pm: Speculating on whether the source of Peter Jennings’ lung cancer is the result of smoking is not only unseemly, it’s downright “blame-the-victim” ugly. People also do contract lung cancer without smoking.

My Mother died last November at age 72 of a cancer on her tongue that had metastasized to her lungs, among other places. She smoked most of her adult life, except for the last five years or so. She had a hell of a lot of courage in so many ways; and I would be extremely upset with you if you said she deserved her suffering because she was unable to overcome her addiction to cigarettes.

As for Peter, I can’t say he was always my favorite newscaster. But God bless him!
La Shawn 04.05.05 at 5:40 pm: You know, this is how threads turn ugly really fast. It’s not unseemly to speculate that someone got lung cancer from smoking. Nobody meant any offense regardless, so please let’s not get into a debate over the cause of Jennings’ cancer, OK? Good grief.
ratso ferrari 04.05.05 at 6:16 pm: I don’t agree with most of his viewpoints but I hope he gets well so I can keep disagreeing with him.
Glamchild 04.05.05 at 7:13 pm: It can happen to anyone. I’ve known people who’ve gotten lung cancer without ever having smoked. I believe Non-Hodgkins lymphoma is a form of it, that can happen to non-smokers—-I am not a medical doctor—-that’s just something I’ve heard.

Anyway, Peter Jennings was one of the most debonair, suave, and eloquent voices on TV news. I can’t remember a time when he wasn’t an anchor. ABC is one of the few newscasts that I still watch. (Because I certainly can’t watch CBS anymore!)

I pray that he survives this.
Rose 04.05.05 at 7:44 pm: My comments were not to incite people to think I was blaming Peter Jennings for his cancer…on the contrary….I was trying to say that cigarettes do cause cancer, just like the example of my mother’s husband. No matter how Peter Jennings got cancer, my prayers are with him.
Jerry McClellan 04.05.05 at 8:30 pm: Amazing!
stan 04.05.05 at 8:35 pm: I think that Mr. Jennings did his job as well as anyone could and that we’re better off because he gave us the news 5 nights a week. Brokaw did pretty well, too. Rather was always a self-promoter and poser going all the way back to the Nixon and Vietnam era. I might have watched him 4-5 times in his career. My dad died of lung cancer…I couldn’t wish that on anyone.
Rafael Daniel 04.05.05 at 8:49 pm: Fragile. That is what we are. No matter the amount of intelligence, the degree of integrity or any other we humans are fragile. I don’t like being reminded of my mortality, but I am forced to think of it when a public figure, one who oftentimes seemed above the fray, reveals his or her essential weakness. Pray for Peter. While doing so keep in mind that our lives are no more than a vapor. Even so, we are charged with bringing our best to the gunfight everyday of our lives. Peace.
annoying litttle twerp 04.06.05 at 7:22 am: Remember that the late Andy Kaufman died of lung cancer-and he was a non smoker.
Btw-my father died of complications of emphesyma and crohns disease and my grandfather died of lung cancer.
While I disagree with peter Jennings more than not-I pray the Lord will help lead him to victory in this battle.
Barb
hghm 04.06.05 at 9:48 am: Effete men bore me. At least make your troll comments interesting and STRONG. – Admin
Wimpy Words 04.06.05 at 9:54 am: What a sad troll you are. – Admin
Dolph Diamond 04.15.05 at 3:23 am: Wishing Peter Jennings a speedy, total recovery. He is one of a kind.