Melissa Greer, 27; TV Meteorologist
Hyfler/Rosner
April 21, 2007 Saturday
Cancer claims TV meteorologist;
Melissa Greer of WBTV dies after six-month battle
BYLINE: Mark Washburn, McClatchy Newspapers
Melissa Greer, a WBTV meteorologist who learned while
pregnant last year that she had a rare and virulent cancer,
died Friday at Carolinas Medical Center. She was 27.
Greer's optimistic and public handling of the disease made
her a focal point across the region for people touched by
cancer, and a frequent mention in strangers' prayer chains.
"So many people respected her for the grace with which she
handled this situation," said Channel 3 reporter Molly
Grantham, Greer's friend and former roommate.
"She was full of spirit, full of life. She rolled with the
punches, including this."
"We find solace in knowing that she packed a lot of living
into the past year," said Mary MacMillan, senior vice
president of WBTV.
"Baby Connor was a great gift to Melissa, and he is
Melissa's great gift to the world."
When Greer developed minor complications in her pregnancy in
November, physicians discovered a cervical tumor.
It was soon diagnosed as large-cell neuroendocrine
carcinoma, an aggressive cancer so rare that at any given
time only a few dozen people in the country have it.
She underwent a regimen of chemotherapy at CMC in December,
but it failed to halt the spread of cancer to other organs.
On Feb. 6, eight months into her pregnancy, she delivered a
healthy son, Connor Edward, by Caesarean section at the
University of Iowa Hospital. Then, in a 12-hour operation,
surgeons performed a hysterectomy and removed tumors,
including cancerous cells on her liver.
Physicians held out hope that further treatment would arrest
the cancer.
On April 1, when co-workers threw a baby shower for her,
Greer was strong and radiant, but in recent days, she had
weakened.
She returned to CMC Thursday night and died peacefully
Friday morning, surrounded by her family.
Greer grew up in Abbeville where her father was a Southern
Baptist minister and her mother a fourth-grade teacher. She
had an interest in television even as a girl, and pursued
broadcasting as a career.
She graduated magna cum laude from the University of South
Carolina with a 3.9 grade-point average before going on to a
geosciences degree and a 4.0 at Mississippi State.
Greer was 25 when WBTV offered her a job in Charlotte as
weekend meteorologist. It was a dream assignment for her,
forecasting the weather in the same region where she grew
up.
Even after she began chemotherapy, she worked occasional
weekend shifts, wearing a wig to cover her loss of hair.
A week before her death, she started a blog on wbtv.com.
Reflecting on the struggle of the last six months.
Greer is survived by her husband, Roger Polsky, and son
Connor; her parents; and a brother and sister.
A service, open to the public, will be held next week.
Arrangements are incomplete.
On the Net Melissa Greer's blog | www.wbtv.com/news/greer
Brad Ferguson
<rel...@rcn.com> wrote:
> The Myrtle Beach Sun-News (South Carolina)
> April 21, 2007 Saturday
>
>
> Cancer claims TV meteorologist;
> Melissa Greer of WBTV dies after six-month battle
>
> BYLINE: Mark Washburn, McClatchy Newspapers
>
>
> Melissa Greer, a WBTV meteorologist who learned while
> pregnant last year that she had a rare and virulent cancer,
> died Friday at Carolinas Medical Center. She was 27.
WBTV is the CBS affiliate in Charlotte, NC. I mention this because,
for some reason, I couldn't find the exact location of the station on
its web site. I had to get it from Wikipedia.
Maureen O'Boyle, who once anchored "A Current Affair," now anchors the
news there.
> Greer is survived by her husband, Roger Polsky, and son
> Connor; her parents; and a brother and sister.
She and Polsky were married last September.