A beloved former news anchor and local politician in Indiana has died.
Tanya Sumner, who went by the on-air name Tanya Spencer, died at her home on Saturday, May 24, aged 53, two years after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer in 2022, her former employer said. Indianapolis ABC affiliate WRTV.
Before her death, Sumner shared a heartbreaking but inspiring message for her loved ones.
“Weather. Good health. Those are our only real commodities. Our only real currencies that matter,” her latest post read in part, according to WRTV.
Sumner spent two decades in broadcast journalism, with 10 of those 20 years at WRTV before leaving the industry to pursue her political dreams, the paper reported.
NYC host Ruschell Boone dies at 48 of complications from cancer: ‘friend and mentor to many’
During her career as a local politician, Sumner served in District Three on the Whitestown City Council.
“The City of Whitestown has lost a dedicated leader who will leave a void in all of our hearts. Vice President Sumner was not only a dedicated councilwoman, she was rooted in our community and cared deeply for her family, friends, neighbors and colleagues,” Whitestown City Manager Katie Barr said in a statement to WRTV. “Her love for this community was contagious and she will be greatly missed.”
Sumner is survived by her husband and teenage child.
Tanya Sumner.
GoFundMe
By the time she died, Sumner’s rare form of colon cancer had metastasized throughout her body from her colon to the lining of her abdomen, wrapping around some organs and eventually spreading to her liver and lungs, according to a GoFundMe campaign set up by Sumner’s friends before her death. death to help pay her medical bills.
Sumner tried to treat her cancer with chemotherapy and drugs, which did not stop the spread of the disease.
Never miss a story β sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
In the midst of her cancer journey, she became a health advocate, encouraging people to get a colonoscopy at the recommended age of 45.
“If you could imagine if I found this tumor the size of a grapefruit 6 years ago β we would be talking differently. Yes, it (colonoscopy) is embarrassing, it’s embarrassing. Nobody wants a colonoscopy, but get it. Get it at 45,” she advised 2023, according to WRTV.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education