WKYC Sports Anchor Tells Viewers He Will Undergo Bone Marrow Transplant

By Andrew Gauthier 

WKYC sports anchor Jim Donovan, who has been with the Cleveland NBC-affiliate since 1985, announced to viewers on Wednesday that he will be taking a medical leave of absence to begin the process of a bone marrow transplant to treat leukemia.

“Since the summer of 2000, I have been dealing with a big problem of having leukemia,” Donovan told viewers at the end of WKYC’s 11 p.m. newscast. “For close to 11 years now, I’ve been going through all various kinds of treatment and it has worked pretty well but now I need a different kind of treatment.”

“Jimmy is a very private person, and has managed to keep his incredibly hectic schedule and job without most of our staff and viewers realizing the physical and mental effort involved,” said Brooke Spectorsky, WKYC’s president and general manager. “But now, it’s time for him to try and beat this disease once and for all.”

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Weekend sports anchor Dave Chudowsky will fill in for Donovan during his medical leave.

Video of Donovan’s announcement inside…

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