http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2341340


Turner NBA host Ernie Johnson has lymphoma

Associated Press

ATLANTA -- Turner Sports studio host Ernie Johnson has lymphoma, but plans to work through the end of the NBA season before beginning treatment in June.

The 49-year-old broadcaster said he was diagnosed 2½ years ago with a form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, which he termed "low grade and treatable."

Johnson said he feels fine but decided to make his condition public because the swelling of a lymph node near his left ear had become noticeable to viewers, prompting questions. He said he most likely will undergo chemotherapy.

"I draw much inspiration for what lies ahead from within my own family," he said. "My mother, Lois, and my sister, Dawn, are both cancer survivors."

Johnson is in his 16th year with Turner Sports and hosts the network's NBA and PGA golf coverage among other assignments.

hope he gets well. i like ernie johnson.

http://images.usatoday.com/sports/nba/_photos2/2002-05-08-inside-johnson.jpg

Sucks man. I hope he gets well soon. I like him.

Ernie's one of the main reasons I like TNT games. He keeps it all together.

Hopefully he can stick around for a while. Cancer's a bitch.


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Get well Soon Ernie


http://www.wolniak.de/galerie/Sesamstrasse/Ernie_Entchen_1024.jpg



Uhh..



http://images.usatoday.com/sports/nba/_photos2/2002-05-08-inside-johnson.jpg

Damn. That sucks. First my aunt and now Ernie. Why is it that cancer always reaches the good people?

This blows.

Hopefully he returns as moderator of Kenny v. Sir Charles.

Damn. That sucks. First my aunt and now Ernie. Why is it that cancer always reaches the good people?

I feel ya.

My dad last year was diagnosed, and also someone I just met had someone died from it a few years ago.

This year, one of my aunts and a friend's aunt as well diagnosed.

Just got to wish for the best.

On topic, Ernie's ear was noticeable during the All-Star weekend.

He's got lymphomic (I think) cancer and will seek treatment after the season's over. The area around his lower left jaw is clearly protruding out from his face - it's evident even in the wide angle shots they use on him.

I feel horrible for the guy and can't believe he's still working. Every time I see him it seems to be getting worse and worse. For the love of God, Ernie - go get some treatment! There will be other seasons, for crying out loud.

It's low-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, which spreads very slowly and is hard to treat with radiation. Personally, I would have that shit biopsied about 8 months ago(I had what was found out to be an infected lymph node as a kid, and my neck looked very similar) but Ernie Johnson is a trooper. Either way I hope he gets it taken care of soon.

Yeah, he made an announcement on the air about 2 months ago. I really like the dynamic of Ernie, Charles, and Kenny. Hopefully Ernie doesn't FUBAR it by dying.

It's bad enough that tonight's the last episode of Seventh Heaven. Cherish it, brothers.

Ernie Johnson, fighting cancer, returns to TNT studio (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2644389)
Associated Press

NEW YORK -- When Ernie Johnson hosts TNT's season-opening coverage of an NBA doubleheader on Tuesday night, he'll be just as bald as studio mates Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith.

Six rounds of chemotherapy have left Johnson without his hair. But he said he feels fine and is ready to get back to work after taking four months off for treatment of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

Johnson was diagnosed with the illness in 2003, but remained on the air until he felt his work was being affected because his jaw was noticeably swollen. He worked through TNT's coverage of the Western Conference finals, then skipped his usual summer responsibilities with the blessing of his bosses.

"When the summer began [they] said, 'Don't worry about doing golf, don't worry about doing college football,"' Johnson said. "'Focus on this, get better, if you can come back for basketball, welcome back.' There was never any pressure."

Johnson hadn't told Barkley or Smith about the illness until early last season, when he asked them if his appearance had changed much. He became convinced it had during All-Star weekend -- he said it "got uncomfortable to be on the air" -- and announced on the program the following week that he would get treatment after the season.

Johnson has had six chemo treatments, with another scheduled for Friday, and could have one more after that. Doctors told him he had shown an "excellent response to treatment" and he said he was touched by the amount of calls and e-mails he had received.

"There have been 100 people who have said to me this summer -- at least 100 -- they always want to know how Ernie's doing," Barkley said. "I was calling Ernie pretty much once a week just to check on him. And it's been so many people who wanted me to wish Ernie the best. It's been amazing."

Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press