Kathi Goertzen
Encyclopedia
Kathi Goertzen is a longtime co-anchor of KOMO-TV
along with Dan Lewis
(the 6PM edition) and also the 5PM edition with Eric Johnson
. She joined KOMO in June 1980, after the eruption of Mount St. Helens
and since has done many newscasts including the fall of the Berlin Wall
(she was the first local American TV
news reporter to do so).
with a Bachelor of Arts
degree in communications. She is a member of the Omega Chapter of Alpha Chi Omega
sorority. She had served as the anchor of the WSU
's newscast and interned as a beat reporter at KREM 2 in Spokane
. During this time, she reported about the eruption of Mount St. Helens
and also graduated from the Edward R. Murrow School of Communication at Washington State University.
fell, Goertzen was the first local American news reporter to report live from the scene at Brandenburg Gate
in West Berlin
.
On December 1, 1998, it was announced that Goertzen had been suffering from a type of meningioma
, a noncancerous tumor that grows on the brain stem that affects speech and the ability to swallow. The announcement led to many longtime KOMO viewers pouring support for Kathi, wishing for a speedy recovery. Treatment went quickly for the first occurrence, and she returned to KOMO News on January 3, 1999. When she returned to the program, her co-anchor, Dan Lewis
, said, "Kathi, don't ever leave me like that again."
The tumor recurred in 2005, resulting in Goertzen announcing a leave of absence on September 16. Because the tumor is located near nerves that are vital to speech, it could not be removed completely, it had regrown to where Goertzen announced on April 2, 2008 that she would be undergoing a third surgery to remove the tumor. The surgery "went better than expected" on April 3, and after spending several months on an experimental chemotherapy drug used to fight kidney cancer (with high levels of success), it was announced on August 14 that Goertzen would resume anchor duties alongside Dan Lewis on September 2, 2008.
A little more than two weeks following her return on KOMO 4 News, on September 18, Kathi Goertzen announced that the tumor had grown back yet again, and that she would undergo her fourth operation to have the tumor removed. Her announcement topped all the evening newscasts, with longtime news anchor Dan Lewis leading the 11PM newscast.
After a number of surgeries to remove the tumor, and five months off television, Goertzen returned to KOMO-TV on Monday, February 16, 2009. The surgeries have partially paralyzed the right side of her face, resulting in difficulty blinking her right eye. As a result of her surgeries, she's forced to wear glasses (in her 29-year history with KOMO-TV she's never worn them on-air). Her return to broadcasting the evening news was met with scores of "Welcome back, Kathi!" remarks by fellow KOMO colleagues and KOMO viewers.
On February 2, 2011, Goertzen again underwent surgery to remove parts of the tumor that continued to grow. The various treatments had damaged her facial nerve, which partially debilitated one side of her face. In surgery for more than ten hours her doctors reported that they were going to be more aggressive this time and remove all the tumor. According to those doctors this will hopefully be the last time Kathi will be going under the knife. The creation of a support page on Facebook for Kathi has amassed over 60,000 fans.
KOMO-TV
KOMO-TV, virtual channel 4, is a television station in Seattle, Washington. It is an affiliate of ABC and broadcasts on digital channel 38. KOMO-TV is the flagship station of Fisher Communications, and its studios and offices are co-located with sister radio stations KOMO , KVI , and KPLZ-FM ...
along with Dan Lewis
Dan Lewis (newsreader)
Dan Lewis is a long-time news presenter and reporter for KOMO-TV, in Seattle, Washington.He came to KOMO-TV in 1987 after working at television station WJLA-TV in Washington, D.C., replacing retiring news anchor Jim Harriott. Before that, he had worked at WISN-TV in Milwaukee, Wisconsin...
(the 6PM edition) and also the 5PM edition with Eric Johnson
Eric Johnson (news and sports reporter)
Eric Johnson is an American television news sports director, as well as news anchor.-Early life:Eric was born to Nathan and Lurane Johnson and raised in Spokane. Eric attended East Valley High School and majored in broadcasting in the Edward R. Murrow School of Communications at Washington State...
. She joined KOMO in June 1980, after the eruption of Mount St. Helens
1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens
The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, a stratovolcano located in Washington state, in the United States, was a major volcanic eruption. The eruption was the only significant one to occur in the contiguous 48 U.S. states since the 1915 eruption of Lassen Peak in California...
and since has done many newscasts including the fall of the Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
(she was the first local American TV
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
news reporter to do so).
Before KOMO
Kathi Goertzen was born in Seattle on April 30, 1958. She graduated from Queen Anne High School, and had initially set out to be a veterinarian. However, she changed her career goals after witnessing a dog necropsy, and then set out to be a journalist, enrolling at Washington State University. Kathi Goertzen graduated in 1980 from Washington State UniversityWashington State University
Washington State University is a public research university based in Pullman, Washington, in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1890, WSU is the state's original and largest land-grant university...
with a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in communications. She is a member of the Omega Chapter of Alpha Chi Omega
Alpha Chi Omega
Alpha Chi Omega is a women's fraternity founded on October 15, 1885. Currently, there are 135 chapters of Alpha Chi Omega at colleges and universities across the United States and more than 200,000 lifetime members...
sorority. She had served as the anchor of the WSU
Washington State University
Washington State University is a public research university based in Pullman, Washington, in the Palouse region of the Pacific Northwest. Founded in 1890, WSU is the state's original and largest land-grant university...
's newscast and interned as a beat reporter at KREM 2 in Spokane
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
. During this time, she reported about the eruption of Mount St. Helens
1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens
The 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, a stratovolcano located in Washington state, in the United States, was a major volcanic eruption. The eruption was the only significant one to occur in the contiguous 48 U.S. states since the 1915 eruption of Lassen Peak in California...
and also graduated from the Edward R. Murrow School of Communication at Washington State University.
Career with KOMO
After joining KOMO-TV in 1980, she became a regular reporter. After one year, in 1981, she became a general assignment reporter, then in 1982, she took weekend news anchoring duties from anchor Kerry Brock. In 1984, she became co-anchor for the weeknight editions of KOMO 4 News with Jim Harriott. When the Berlin WallBerlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
fell, Goertzen was the first local American news reporter to report live from the scene at Brandenburg Gate
Brandenburg Gate
The Brandenburg Gate is a former city gate and one of the most well-known landmarks of Berlin and Germany. It is located west of the city centre at the junction of Unter den Linden and Ebertstraße, immediately west of the Pariser Platz. It is the only remaining gate of a series through which...
in West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
.
Absences from KOMO
In 1989, she took a three-month maternity leave upon the birth of her first daughter, Alexa, and another maternity leave again in 1995 after her second daughter, Andrea, was born.On December 1, 1998, it was announced that Goertzen had been suffering from a type of meningioma
Meningioma
The word meningioma was first used by Harvey Cushing in 1922 to describe a tumor originating from the meninges, the membranous layers surrounding the CNS ....
, a noncancerous tumor that grows on the brain stem that affects speech and the ability to swallow. The announcement led to many longtime KOMO viewers pouring support for Kathi, wishing for a speedy recovery. Treatment went quickly for the first occurrence, and she returned to KOMO News on January 3, 1999. When she returned to the program, her co-anchor, Dan Lewis
Dan Lewis (newsreader)
Dan Lewis is a long-time news presenter and reporter for KOMO-TV, in Seattle, Washington.He came to KOMO-TV in 1987 after working at television station WJLA-TV in Washington, D.C., replacing retiring news anchor Jim Harriott. Before that, he had worked at WISN-TV in Milwaukee, Wisconsin...
, said, "Kathi, don't ever leave me like that again."
The tumor recurred in 2005, resulting in Goertzen announcing a leave of absence on September 16. Because the tumor is located near nerves that are vital to speech, it could not be removed completely, it had regrown to where Goertzen announced on April 2, 2008 that she would be undergoing a third surgery to remove the tumor. The surgery "went better than expected" on April 3, and after spending several months on an experimental chemotherapy drug used to fight kidney cancer (with high levels of success), it was announced on August 14 that Goertzen would resume anchor duties alongside Dan Lewis on September 2, 2008.
A little more than two weeks following her return on KOMO 4 News, on September 18, Kathi Goertzen announced that the tumor had grown back yet again, and that she would undergo her fourth operation to have the tumor removed. Her announcement topped all the evening newscasts, with longtime news anchor Dan Lewis leading the 11PM newscast.
After a number of surgeries to remove the tumor, and five months off television, Goertzen returned to KOMO-TV on Monday, February 16, 2009. The surgeries have partially paralyzed the right side of her face, resulting in difficulty blinking her right eye. As a result of her surgeries, she's forced to wear glasses (in her 29-year history with KOMO-TV she's never worn them on-air). Her return to broadcasting the evening news was met with scores of "Welcome back, Kathi!" remarks by fellow KOMO colleagues and KOMO viewers.
On February 2, 2011, Goertzen again underwent surgery to remove parts of the tumor that continued to grow. The various treatments had damaged her facial nerve, which partially debilitated one side of her face. In surgery for more than ten hours her doctors reported that they were going to be more aggressive this time and remove all the tumor. According to those doctors this will hopefully be the last time Kathi will be going under the knife. The creation of a support page on Facebook for Kathi has amassed over 60,000 fans.