TREAT US LIKE FAMILY. YOU INVITE US
INTO YOUR HOMES
EVERY EVENING ...
AS WE DELIVER
THE NEWS.
SO WHEN JOHN
STARTED
UNDERGOING NEW
TREATMENT FOR AN
AUTOIMMUNE
DISEASE ... MANY
REACHED OUT
CONCERNED FOR
HOW HE’S DOING.
TONIGHT .. I SIT
DOWN WITH MY
CO-ANCHOR NOT
HERE IN THE 10
NEWS STUDIO ..
BUT AT HIS HOME
TO HAVE A
PERSONAL
CONVERSATION
PERSONAL CONVERSATION ABOUT HIS HEALTH.
GOOD EVENING, I’M
JOHN CARLIN
SINCE 1983 .. JOHN
CARLIN HAS
DELIVERED THE
DAY’S NEWS TO
VIEWERS IN
SOUTHWEST
VIRGINIA.
SOUTHWEST VIRGINIA. A LOT HAS
CHANGED
PROFESSIONALLY
CHANGED PROFESSIONALLY OVER TIME -
TECHNOLOGY ..
COANCHORS .. AND
STUDIOS.
BUT ONE THING
REMAINS .. HE
SUITS UP .. SITS
DOWN ..AND WHEN
THE LIGHT TURNS
RED .. HE READS
THE COPY.
GOOD EVENING, I’M
JOHN CARLIN.
BUT IN THE PAST
FEW YEARS ..
THINGS HAVE
CHANGED
PERSONALLY FOR
JOHN.
IN 2015 I CAME TO
WORK ONE DAY
AND IT FELT LIKE
MY SOCKS WERE
BALLED UP
UNDERNEATH MY
FEET IN MY SHOE,
SO I PULLED MY
SHOE OFF AND
LOOKED AND TO MY
SURPRISE THEY
WEREN’T.
SLOWLY THE
NUMBNESS
STARTED CREEPING
UP BOTH LEGS.
AFTER TESTING ..
DOCTOR’S WOULD
SOON DISCOVER
JOHN HAD A MASS
GROWING ON HIS
SPINAL CORD.
IN EARLY 2016 ..
AFTER A DIFFICULT
SPINAL BIOPSY ..
DOCTORS
DETERMINED THAT
MASS WAS PART OF
A DISEASE CALLED
SARCOIDOSIS.
BY THEN, THE
NUMBNESS HAD
CREPT ALL THE
WAY UP MY BODY,
BASICALLY FROM
MY CHEST TO MY
FEET.
SO THE MAN WHO
RAN THE BOSTON
MARATHON THREE
TIMES .. COULD
NOW BARELY RUN
ACROSS THE
STREET.
IT WAS A
HUMBLING REALITY
.. FOR THIS
OUTDOOR
ENTHUSIAST.
OUTDOOR ENTHUSIAST. I ALWAYS THOUGHT
I WOULD BE THE
GUY WHO WAS
STILL OUT THERE
DOING IT WHEN I
WAS 80. I MEAN, I
ALWAYS THOUGHT
THAT THAT WOULD
BE ME. I’VE NEVER
HAD A HEALTH
ISSUE EVER, YOU
KNOW, A
SIGNIFICANT ONE. I
WAS THE GUY THAT
JUST, IT ALWAYS
CAME EASY. AND I
WAS ALWAYS
HEALTHY AND I
ALWAYS HAD
ENERGY AND NOW
I’M NOT THAT GUY.
FACING MORE AND
MORE
UNCERTAINTY
MORE UNCERTAINTY SURROUNDING HIS
MOBILITY .. JOHN
TURNED TO THE
CLEVELAND CLINIC
FOR TREATMENT.
FOR TREATMENT.
SARCOIDOSIS IS A MULTI SYSTEM DISEASE.
DR. MANUEL
RIBEIRO IS A
SPECIALIST WHO’S
FORMING JOHN’S
TREATMENT PLAN.
SARCOIDOSIS OF
THE SPINE IS VERY
RARE. LESS THAN
5% PATIENTS WILL
HAVE SARCOIDOSIS
OF THE SPINE.
WHAT MAKES
JOHN’S LOCATION
SO PROBLEMATIC IS
.. THE MASSES ON
THE SPINAL CORD
CAN AFFECT
MOTOR FUNCTION
OF THE ARMS AND
LEGS .. EVEN
CAUSING STROKE-
LIKE SYMPTOMS.
I’VE HAD TWO
NEUROLOGISTS
TELL ME THEY
CAN’T BELIEVE I’M
WALKING AFTER
LOOKING AT MY
MRIS.
HIS SYMPTOMS
WERE NOT AS BAD
AS WHAT I
EXPECTED FROM
THE IMAGING.
RIGHT NOW.. DR.
RIBEIRO’S PLAN OF
ATTACK .. IS
PREDNISONE AND
CHEMOTHERAPY ..
BOTH OF WHICH
HAVE VISIBLE SIDE
EFFECTS.
VIEWERS HAVE
BEEN VERY KIND.
THEY’VE BEEN
CONTACTING ME
THROUGH
FACEBOOK,
THROUGH FACEBOOK, THEY’VE BEEN
EMAILING ME,
THEY’RE
GENUINELY
THEY’RE GENUINELY CONCERNED. THEY
CAN SEE BY
WATCHING ME ON
THE NEWS THAT I’M
NOT MY NORMAL
SELF. I DON’T LOOK
THE SAME. THIS
MOON FACE IS
WHAT THEY CALL IT
FROM PREDNISONE,
IT MAKES MY FACE
SO TIGHT I CAN’T
EVEN SMILE
NATURALLY.
WHILE HE’S FACING
PHYSICAL
DIFFERENCES ..
JOHN HAS STILL
BEEN ABLE TO
LOAD UP THE BIKE
... AND HIT THE
ROAD.
THE GREAT THING
IS I CAN STILL RIDE
MY BIKE FOR
WHATEVER REASON
WHILE RUNNING
FEELS TOO
AWKWARD, HIKING
IF IT’S REALLY
STEEP FEELS TOO
DIFFICULT, WHEN I
GET ON MY BIKE I
CAN STILL DO WHAT
I USED TO DO, SO
THAT’S LIKE MY
NORMAL.
WHAT’S BEEN THE
HARDEST PART FOR
YOU?
THE HARDEST PART
FOR ME IS THAT I’VE
ALWAYS BEEN
SUPER ENERGETIC.
BUTT TO
IT REALLY MAKES
YOU STOP AND
THINK ABOUT HOW
YOU VALUE WHO
YOU ARE AND WHAT
YOU DO AND DO
YOU VIEW
YOURSELF
THROUGH THE
SCOPE OF YOUR
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
OR DO YOU VIEW
YOURSELF
THROUGH THE
SCOPE OF WHO
YOU ARE AND WHAT
YOU BELIEVE AND
YOUR
RELATIONSHIPS
YOUR RELATIONSHIPS AND THAT SORT OF
THING. WHERE YOU
FIND YOUR
IDENTITY. WHERE
YOU FIND YOUR
IDENTITY. HAS THAT
BEEN HARD? IT’S A
STRUGGLE. IT’S A
WORK IN
PROGRESS.
NOT UNTIL THE
END OF 2019 .. WILL
HE LEARN IF HE’S
MADE PROGRESS
SHRINKING THE
MASS ON HIS
SPINE.
I’M FORTUNATE
THAT I HAVE THE
BEST DOCTORS
THAT I CAN HAVE.
I’M FORTUNATE
THAT I CAN STILL
DO WHAT I CAN DO.
AND FOR NOW
HE’LL CONTINUE TO
DO WHAT HE
LOVES.
LESTER HOLT -
"TONIGHT..THE