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WGN Radio afternoon news anchor Steve Bertrand has revealed he has been diagnosed with Parkinsons Disease.
While appearing with WGN host John Williams, Bertrand shared that he was actually diagnosed several years ago. He has recently begun dealing with more of the effects of the disease, though.
“I was diagnosed probably three years ago for the first time,” Bertrand shared. “And (my wife) noticed years ago that my left arm wasn’t swinging like my right arm when I walk. It wouldn’t do anything. If you Google it right away, it says that that’s Parkinson’s. I went to my regular doctor, who’s a wonderful guy. Talked to him, and he gave me a couple little tests. He says, ‘No, I don’t think you have it.’ And then a year later, I went back to him, and he referred me to a neurologist, and he said pretty quickly, ‘Yeah, it looks like you do.'”
He continued by noting that completing tasks with his left hand and arm– even simple ones like typing on a keyboard — have become increasingly difficult. Bertrand joked that every letter in his name comes on the left side of the keyboard.
However, on the bright side, he said that the progression of the disease has been “remarkably slow.” Steve Bertrand added that diagnosis is not a death sentence.
Williams reassured him that those in the WGN Radio offices had not noticed any of the difficulties he had been dealing wtih.
Bertrand has been with the station since 1984. He has worked in a variety of roles, including hosting afternoon drive and the business hour lunch program. He currently serves as the afternoon news anchor during the daypart helmed by Lisa Dent.
