In a heart-wrenching goodbye to viewers, veteran news anchor Larry Stogner signed off after 40 years of service from WTVD Raleigh last week. Stogner shockingly announced that he had been diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
Before making the announcement, Larry Stogner made mention to viewers noticing a change in his voice.
“I am sure that in recent months, you’ve noticed a change in my voice, my speech [is] slower,” Stogner said. “Many of you were kind enough to email me ideas about what it might be, or just to show concern, and I truly appreciate that.”
Stogner made reference to participating in an ice bucket challenge just five months earlier.
“Some of you may remember me taking the ALS ice bucket challenge back in the summer. Little did I know, it was about to change my life. There is no cure. My career in broadcast journalism is coming to an end.”
ALS, often referred to as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. The average life expectancy for ALS patients is two to five years, though some live on longer with the help of medication.
After an illustrious career interviewing the likes of President Barack Obama and then President Geroge W. Bush, Stogner was inducted into the North Carolina Journalism Hall of Fame in 2010.
Stogner issued a promise that he would be back to offer his viewers a “more personal” goodbye after a vacation with his wife. Larry Stogner’s time at the station will be memorialized with a week of special stories beginning February 2.
Larry Stogner is set to appear for the last time on February 6.
[Image via abclocal.go.com]
