RUTH SPENCER HAS MET,
INTERVIEWED, AND HELPED
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE OVER THE
LAST 25 YEARS.
MAYBE YOU AS WELL.
TODAY WE SAY OUR FAREWELL.
WE RECENTLY ASKED HER TO SHARE
SOME MEMORIES.
SHE TALKED ABOUT ONE STORY THAT
PROBABLY TOUCHED YOUR HEART,
TOO.
WELL, ACTUALLY, BEING THE
CONSUMER INVESTIGATOR WAS
PERFECT FOR ME, BECAUSE IT GAVE
ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO FOR
OTHERS WHAT I HAD ACTUALLY BEEN
DOING FOR OTHERS AND FOR MYSELF
MY ENTIRE LIFE.
FIGHTING FOR THE UNDERDOG.
I'VE COME ACROSS HUNDREDS AND
HUNDREDS, PERHAPS THOUSANDS OF
STORIES BY NOW WHERE PEOPLE WERE
BEING TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF.
IN THE CONSUMER UNIT THERE WERE
ALSO CHILDREN WHO WE DID STORIES
ABOUT.
ONE OF THEM WAS LEXI HYATT.
WHAT HAD HAPPENED IS HER
GRANDFATHER, WHO WAS VERY
CONCERNED ABOUT HER H SENT A
PHOTOGRAPH OF HER TO ME SAYING
RUTH, WE REALLY NEED HELP.
THIS IS OUR GRANDDAUGHTER.
SHE HAD A HEMANGIOMA GROWING ON
ONE SIDE OF HER FACE, WHICH HAD
TAKEN OVER HER HEAD AND NECK AND
EVERYTHING AND THAT WAS PETTING
A TREMENDOUS STRAIN ON HER
HEART, BECAUSE THE HEART HAD TO
PUMP FLOOD THIS VASCULAR LADEN
GROWTH.
WHAT I WAS ABLE TO DO IS PROVIDE
A LOT OF PRIVATE PILOTS FROM AN
ORGANIZATION CALLED ANGEL'S
FLIGHT.
WHAT THEY DO, THEY FERRY
CHILDREN AROUND WHO HAVE MEDICAL
CONDITIONS TO VARIOUS HOSPITALS.
THEY FINALLY GOT DOWN TO LITTLE
ROCK, ARKANSAS.
SHE HAD LIFESAVING SURGERY AND
NOW SHE'S A YOUNG LADY AND I
JUST SAW HER A FEW WEEKS AGO, AS
A MATTER OF FACT, AND SO LEX I'S
STORY REALLY TOUCHED ME DEEPLY.
THERE ARE FOLKS OUT THERE WHO
WANT TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THEM
IN SOME WAY.
WE'VE SEEN IT WITH BIG
CORPORATIONS, WITH THE PRODUCTS
THAT THEY MANAGE AND PUT OUT
THERE FOR FOLKS, AND PEOPLE END
UP DAMAGED IN SOME WAY,
FINANCIALLY DAMAGED, MAYBE THEY
END UP SICK, MAYBE NECESSITY END
UP DEAD.
I'VE ASKED PEOPLE BEFORE IN AN
INTERVIEW, HOW DO YOU GO TO
SLEEP AT NIGHT KNOWING THAT
THOSE BABY CRIBS ARE OUT THERE?
KNOWING THAT A BABY CAN BE
KILLED?
HOW DO YOU SLEEP AT NIGHT?
I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, WE COME
INTO OUR WORKING LIFE BECAUSE WE
NEED SOME MONEY TO SUPPORT
OURSELVES AND OUR FAMILIES.
WE NEED BENEFITS FOR OURSELVES
AND OUR FAMILIES.
BUT THAT'S NOT REALLY AS
SATISFYING, I DON'T THINK, GET
THAT GO PAYCHECK, AS BEING ABLE
TO HELP SOMEONE, BEING ABLE TO
MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN SOMEONE'S
LIFE.
I THINK THAT THAT IS EVERYTHING.
ABSOLUTELY IS.
AND RUTH, WE'VE RECEIVED
HUNDREDS OF MESSAGES TODAY FROM
SHOWERS.
LET'S LOOK AT JUST A COUPLE.
FIRST, KATHY SAYS BEST WISHES TO
YOU, RUTH.
ENJOY YOUR RETIREMENT.
WE'LL MISS SEEING YOUR
COMPASSION AND ALSO CRACKING UP
AT YOUR HUMOR WAS WELL.
LISA SAYS GRACIOUS AND BEST
WISHES TO YOU, RUTH.
AND DEBRA SAYS THANK YOU, RUTH,
FOR ALL THE YEARS OF CARING AND
SHARING.
YOU ARE AN ICON OF DETROIT TV.
THANK YOU AND BY THE WAY, I
JUST GOT A MESSAGE FROM LEX I
HYATT'S MOTHER AND SHE SAID LEXY
GOT HER BRACES OFF TODAY.
I SEND MY LOVE TO YOU AND I'M SO
THRILLED FOR YOU TODAY
ESPECIALLY.
TO ALL OF YOU SHOWERS, IT HAS
BEEN A REAL HONOR TO SERVE FOR
YOU 25 YEARS WITH NEWS AND
INFORMATION.
I REALLY BELIEVE THAT WE ALL
HAVE TO DISCOVER OUR GOD GIVEN
TALENTS AND THEN USE THOSE
TALENTS TO SEARCH HIM BY
BRINGING HIS LOVE AND HIS CARE
TO OTHERS IN A MILLION DIFFERENT
WAYS.
IN MY CASE, I SEEM TO HAVE A
TALENT FOR COMMUNICATING FACTS
AND DEALINGS AND I HOPE THAT OUR
NEWS HAS HELPED YOU KEEP YOUR
FAMILY SAFE, MAKE IMPORTANT
DECISIONS ABOUT VOTING, AND
REALLY KNOW EVERYTHING YOU NEED
TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR COMMUNITY.
I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY HOW EVERY
STORY I REPORTED MAY HAVE
AFFECTED YOU, BUT I TRUST THAT
THEY MADE SOME KIND OF AN IMPACT
FOR THE BETTER.
I'VE HAD TRAGEDIES IN MY OWN
LIFE.
THEREFORE, WHEN I REPORTED THOSE
, I WANTED TO MAKE SURE
THESE WERE REPORTED THAT
AFFECTED MEN AND WOMEN AND BOYS
AND GIRLS.
WITH MY DEAR FRIEND EMERY KING
AND LATE WE ARE MY GOOD BUDDY
DEVON, I THANK YOU FOR YOUR
TRUST IN ME AND I WILL ALWAYS
CARRY YOU IN MY HEART, ALWAYS.
WE WILL ALWAYS CARRY YOU.
I JUST WANT TO TELL YOU THAT I
WANT TO THANK YOU FOR BEING NOT
JUST A GOOD FRIEND TO ME, BUT TO
ALL OF US, AND FOR BEING SUCH A
GOOD ROLE MODEL ON THE AIR, BUT
OFF THE AIR AS WELL.
RUTH HAS BEEN A REAL GIFT TO THE
STATION, TO THE COMMUNITY, AND
CERTAINLY TO YOUR FAMILY.
WE'RE GOING TO MISS YOU.
AND I WILL MISS THIS PLACE
VERY VERY MUCH.
AND I WANT TO SAY I'M SO
THRILLED THAT MANAGEMENT ALLOWED
ME TO EXERCISE THIS OPTION IN MY
CONTRACT TO RETIRE BEFORE MY
CONTRACT WAS UP.
THEY DIDN'T RETIRE ON ME OR TRY
TO USE RETIREMENT AS A EUPHEMISM
FOR BEING RETIRED.
THEY REALLY LET ME RUN THE SHOW
AND COME TO THEM, SO I FEEL
REALLY HAPPEN THAT I THEY
ALLOWED ME TO DO THAT.
ONLY TWO THINGS I WANT TO
SAY.
ONE IS I'M JUST BLOWN AWAY THAT,
YOU KNOW, I'M SO SAD THAT YOU'RE
LEAVING.
AND TWO, HOW COME CARMEN AND I
ARE HERE ON A FRIDAY?
I THINK IT'S NO SURPRISE.
THAT TELLS YOU HOW BIG OF A
DAY IT IS.
THERE'S NO DOUBT ABOUT IT.
CAN WE GET HUGS ALL AROUND?
WE WILL.
COME ON.
THAT'S GOING TO DO IT FOR US.
WE'VE GOT THE LOCAL NEWS AT 6:00
COMING UP NEXT.
STICK AROUND.
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