"You're rescuing your bone marrow by the stem cells that you stored," Go said. He is scheduled to begin treatment Friday at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. "I spent my whole life asking questions, but I asked very few questions about my own health because all I wanted to hear is I'm OK," Stafford said in an interview at his Hinsdale home Tuesday.

Rob Stafford, who reports on NBC-5 in Chicago, will be away from the station for several months getting treatment for amyloidosis from Friday at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

During treatment, doctors will remove, or "harvest," stem cells from Stafford's own bone marrow and freeze millions of healthy ones. Before his diagnosis in January, Stafford had noticed lower energy levels After a physical detected slightly high cholesterol levels and more than usual amounts of protein in his urine, both indicators that his kidney had been damaged as a result of the blood disease, "I believe there's a reason that this happened, and I think there's a calling that is to let people know the importance of early detection," said Lisa Stafford, his wife of 30 years who owns a medical marketing and communications company. Now, NBC 5 in Chicago reports that anchor Rob Stafford was diagnosed with amyloidosis in 2017. NBC-5 weekend anchor Dick Johnson will be filling in for Stafford during his absence. Find out how we support you and get information about different cancer types.

Risk factors for amyloidosis include exposure to chemicals, radiation and aging, Go said. Lisa Stafford is the wife of NBC5 anchor Rob Stafford and a marketing/communications specialist in Chicago. News Anchors At 2 Chicago TV Stations Take Time Off For Medical Reasons - Chicago, IL - ABC 7's Hosea Sanders and NBC 5's Rob Stafford told viewers this …

In the lawsuit, Stafford alleges negligence, willful and wanton conduct and ultra-hazardous activity, saying the defendants “had the ability to regulate the emissions of ethylene oxide” but instead failed to warn the public of the risk of their health. Sanders told social media friends Tuesday night that he had been diagnosed several weeks ago and would be taking some time off from the ABC-owned station, for which he anchors the 7 p.m. newscast each weeknight. Doctors have encouraged him to pack on a few pounds in anticipation of further weight loss. Although Stafford's parents were both treated for cancers in their 50s, doctors do not know the exact cause of Stafford's illness and do not believe it was is hereditary. Chicago's leading press release newswire service; professional press release services, press release distribution and newswire services.Rob Stafford Sues Sterigenics Over Amyloidosis Diagnosis Chemotherapy then will be used to wipe out all of his bone marrow, including the unhealthy cells. We all wish Rob the best of luck in the weeks ahead, and we can't wait for his return to the newsroom," station manager and vice president of news Frank Whitaker said in an email.

Stafford joined NBC-5 in 2009 after working as a Chicago-based correspondent for Dateline NBC for 11 years. Stafford told colleagues at WMAQ-Ch. Rob Stafford Sues Sterigenics Over Amyloidosis Diagnosis Published on August 26, 2019 NBC 5 anchor Rob Stafford on Friday filed a lawsuit against Sterigenics claiming he was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder after being exposed to toxic levels of ethylene oxide emitted by the Willowbrook facility.

"I am not freaking out because I really am confident I am going to get through this," he said. As the final part of the treatment, doctors will transplant the healthy stem cells back into Stafford's bone marrow, and they will reproduce themselves, Go said. According to the Mayo Clinic, the rare disease occurs when amyloid builds up in your organs. As medical tests forced him to travel, he alerted NBC-5 managers, who encouraged Stafford to do whatever it took to get the medical attention needed, he said. NBC 5's Rob Stafford To Be Off The Air Indefinitely To Battle Rare Blood Disorder. 7, announced on his Facebook page he will undergo surgery for prostate cancer and that he was "very optimistic about the outcome."

NBC 5 has reached out to Sterigenics regarding Stafford’s lawsuit, and a spokesman for the company declined to comment.Stafford’s lawsuit also names GTCR LLC, which acquired and now owns Sterigenics; Robert D. Novak, operations manager of Sterigenics; and Roger Clark, Sterigenics maintenance supervisor until 2015. Stafford is expected to lose his hair as a result of the chemotherapy and has experienced weight loss. In his email to fellow staffers, Stafford joked that he did not wait for the end of sweeps to schedule treatment, but that Friday was the first opening on the Mayo schedule after Stafford completed all the required medical tests. "I consider this early diagnosis a gift that left to my own devices I would not have received," Stafford wrote.