Метеоролог телеканала WHO-TV в Де-Мойне объявил о диагнозе болезни Паркинсона

Trending In all my years in TV news, I've never heard of a situation like the NBC affiliate in Des Moines is dealing with. This week, WHO-TV meteorologist Jason Parkin announced on Facebook that he's been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. The news comes as a shock because it follows closely on the heels of WHO meteorologist Jeriann Ritter's diagnosis in February that she has ALS. Ritter's speech was impacted to the point that she could no longer clearly explain the weather and is on leave from the station. She told WHO's Keith Murphy that viewers started noticing something wrong with her speech. Some even sent her messages wondering if she was drunk. Eventually, she let viewers know what she is dealing with. "When my greatest joy is talking and it's becoming harder to do, it's kind of a bummer right now," she said in her on-air announcement. Something of a relief Parkin, 56, had known about his diagnosis since January. In fact, he and Ritter received their diagnoses the same week, from the same Des Moines neurologist. As difficult as the news is, Parkin tells me the diagnosis came as something of a relief. He'd been suffering from fatigue the past several years and couldn't understand why. "I just felt like, honestly, like a giant loser, because I would just sleep all the time. I would sleep 10, 11 hours a night. I would take naps during the day and my poor wife's raising three kids. My kids are - how come dad is always laying on the couch? It was really frustrating. And so, when I found out, I was like, ah, okay. Now I can name it. Maybe I can tame it." Even though Parkin found out at the same time as Ritter, he deliberately kept the news to himself. He didn't want to take attention away from Ritter. "Jeriann's facing a much bigger battle, and I didn't want to take any bandwidth away from that. She needed and still needs all the love she can get." He adds with a chuckle, "I didn't want people tuning in to see if Jason's shaking on the air." The good news is there are no tremors. Parkin is on several medications and is exercising as much as possible to control symptoms. He's fully able to do the behind-the-scenes forecasting and on-air work as weekend evening meteorologist at WHO. 'Everybody's been so nice' He could have kept it all confidential. But when folks at the Iowa chapter of the American Parkinson Disease Association asked him to emcee an event next month, Parkin agreed and thought the timing right to let viewers know. The reaction has been overwhelming. At last check, more than 1,000 people have commented on his Facebook page with messages of support. "It's really wonderful," he says. "The support, and in particular the prayers, are meaningful to me. Because I definitely believe in the power of that. Everybody's been so nice. It's humbling, for sure." Other people living with Parkinson's have reached out to offer support, and Parkin has coffees set up with them to talk about what lies ahead. He's also taken inspiration from Ritter. He says whenever he texts her to check in, she responds with how she's enjoying the summer. "She's so relentlessly positive. I use that whenever I get frustrated or start to feel down. I just think about her and course correct." What you see is what you get In full disclosure, I've known Jason a long time. I hired him at KCCI-TV twice, both on a full-time and part-time basis. In addition to being a rock solid meteorologist, he is truly a good dude. The reaction on Facebook this week is a testament to his character. The guy you see on air is the exact same guy sitting across the table over coffee or a beer. KCCI morning anchor Eric Hanson said it best on Facebook. "I love Parkin. I hate Parkinson's." For now, Parkin hopes for a slow progression. His doctor says there are advancements coming soon that will help him manage the disease. He says he's not worried. "Part of it is faith. Part of it -- it's pointless to do," he says. "All I can do is all I can do. And beyond that, what's gonna happen is gonna happen. I pray about it and I just think it's going to be okay in the end. There's a reason why it's happening and we're seeing part of that reason now, because, you know, I'm drawing attention to it and hopefully a couple of bucks (for research)." That's all perfectly in character for Jason Parkin. Facing something frightening, he's taking a leadership role and looking for a way to help others along the way. This column was first published by "Dave Busiek on Media" and is reprinted here through the Iowa Writers' Collaborative.