Veteran WNEM anchor Katie O’Mara has taken a leave of absence from the Saginaw, Mich., CBS affiliate due to a blood disease.
O’Mara, who has been off the air since January, told MLive that she was diagnosed with the disease after giving birth to her daughter eight years ago.
“Things were fine for a year, but have gone downhill in the last four years,” she told reporter . “I’ve had a lot of medical procedures and it has been really difficult. I thought taking some time off would help me heal, but it’s still a daily problem.”
O’Mara did not go into specifics regarding her disease.
“We hope she has a quick recovery and we keep her in our thoughts and prayers,”Al Blinke, general manager of WNEM, told MLive. “We’re in a ratings game right now and we’d love to have her come back. She’s still in all of our promos and is still very much part of this station.”
O’Mara joined WNEM in 1996 and has been the evening anchor for 20 years.
No word on when (or if) she will return to her position.