KDKA Radio's Mike Pintek Announces He Has Cancer
PITTSBURGH (NewsRadio 1020 KDKA) - Popular KDKA midday talk show host Mike Pintek announced on his show Thursday (June 29) that he has been diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer.
"What I'm about to do is not easy. In fact, it's probably one of the hardest things I've ever had to do," Pintek said in an emotional statement, he made to his listeners.
"In early may, I was diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer," he said. "The stats are not great, but that's the hand I was dealt and it is not operable. They thought it was going to be operable at first, but it is not operable...at this time."
KDKA's Marty Griffin Reports --
Mike said the cancer has spread to his liver and possibly to other areas of his body. While the cancer is not operable now, the doctors hope that chemotherapy will shrink the tumor enough to make it operable.
He has not been given a timeline and said he's not going to focus on that. "My focus is on trying to go through the therapies, to take the medicines, to follow the advice of what I consider to be the best doctors in the world at UPMC Hillman."
Pintek has been undergoing chemotherapy treatments at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center and is part of a clinical trial for an experimental drug that he says has shown a lot of success and a lot of promise for other people.
Mike praised the doctors and staff of UPMC for his world class treatment and the options they have presented him to attack the cancer head on. He said they're the ones doing the hard work to fight the disease.
"What I have to do is try to be positive, to try to go through the therapies and do the best I can. I believe in prayer. By the way, if you're so inclined, maybe say a prayer or two. I would love it. I would appreciate it."
Mike said he decided to share the news with listeners since he's been taking more time away from his show recently and within a matter of days, it would be obvious that something is wrong with him due to his hair falling out. "You are my family - my extended family."
"I have my good days and I have my bad days and for the most part, I think I have pretty good days," he continued.
Pintek has been a talk show host on KDKA for two stints, from 1982-2005, and returning again in 2009.
Listen to Mike's full statement below:
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