Julie Luck, one of the most watched and beloved newscasters in the region, had some bad news for her WFMY News 2 audience at the end of the 6 p.m. broadcast on Tuesday, Jan. 25. 

As the show wrapped up, Luck explained that she would be off the air for some time due to a recent diagnosis of colon cancer after a colonoscopy.

“Every night at this time we wrap up this newscast saying, ‘See you at 11,’” Luck said with her voice cracking slightly due to emotion.  “Starting tonight, I will not be here for a few weeks and here’s why. I have some personal news to share with you.  Recently, I went in for a routine colonoscopy. I never expected to hear the word ‘cancer.’”

She went on to say that she was not in a high-risk category – she doesn’t smoke or have a family history of cancer, nor has she experienced any symptoms.  Luck said she was “shocked” by the diagnosis – and no doubt that’s the same reaction many of her fans, friends and family felt when they heard the news.

Luck became an instant hit in the Triad when she joined WGHP in 2005 after working as a news anchor and reporter at KRON in San Francisco. In 2012, she left WGHP, and, after a hiatus, became an anchor on WFMY. 

Over the years, she’s consistently been voted in various polls as the Triad’s most popular newscaster.

On the air Tuesday, Luck expressed how grateful she was for the support of her husband, her News 2 family and her viewers.

“I am ready to fight,” she said.

Luck used the bad news as a way to offer a helpful message to all of her viewers.

“While I would appreciate a small prayer, the best gift that you could give me is for you to get that colonoscopy that you have been putting off, or make sure you get it when you are 45 years old,” Luck said.

She noted that early detection is key, and added that she would return to the air after surgery.

“I’ll end by saying, ‘See you soon,’” she said.

An emotional Luck hugged her fellow newscasters as the program signed off.

 

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