A longtime weather reporter has confirmed her amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) diagnosis in an on-air interview.
Jeriann Ritter, 49, announced her career-ending diagnosis in an interview that aired Tuesday after 20 years of working as a meteorologist at NBC affiliate station WHO 13 in Des Moines, Iowa.
After viewers noticed concerning changes in her speech in recent months, Ritter said doctors told her she has bulbar ALS. Doctors said there is no treatment or cure for the neurodegenerative disease.
“I love talking about the weather. I don’t love talking about ALS,” Ritter told her colleague, Keith Murphy. “That’s what the doctors believe is causing my speech problems.”
Bulbar ALS begins by causing problems with speech, swallowing and breathing. Ritter said she had hoped that another condition was causing her symptoms, but that doctors are still trying to prove to her that their diagnosis is correct.
“If the doctors are right, I’m probably done telling you about the weather,” Ritter said. “But I still have a lot to say.”
The local celebrity fought back tears as she said, “Maybe I’m dealing with this to remind people to be thankful for their life… I can tell you, up until this point, I didn’t forecast this storm hitting. And it’s raining right now and I’m trying to find the sunshine and focus on the little things, and that’s loving and living for the moment.”
Ritter added, “I’m gonna do what I’ve always been doing for almost 50 years of my life. I’m gonna live, and I’m gonna love.”
The meteorologist said her symptoms started in October when she noticed “weird stuff with my speech.” She said that viewers began to notice a change in her speech during broadcasts and sent her messages about it online around November.
She went to her dentist and said that she thought her teeth were moving. She then went to several other doctors, who all told her to see a neurologist.
“That was the day she looked at me and found something with my tongue that led her to believe I had bulbar ALS. I just wasn’t prepared to hear that. I really thought it was something little,” she said.
She addressed the issue in a social media video in January, thanking viewers for their concerns and saying: “I know all of us have stuff going on, but when my greatest joy is talking and it’s becoming harder to do, it’s kind of a bummer right now. But I just want you to know I feel great and that I am getting medical attention for this, and hopefully I’ll get answers sooner rather than later.”
Ritter has been a staple at WHO 13 since joining the station in 2004. She was a meteorologist on the network’s morning show before moving to the noon and 4 p.m. shows in 2022.