Inspiring: Battling Brain Tumor

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 tons of longtime KOMO viewers pouring support for Kathi, wishing for a speedy recovery. Treatment went quick 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 (Source: Wikipedia).