Overview
- Ritter, 49, disclosed the suspected diagnosis in a Tuesday on-air interview with colleague Keith Murphy at Des Moines NBC affiliate WHO 13.
- She said physicians have told her there is no cure for ALS and that, if the diagnosis is confirmed, she will likely end her weather broadcasts.
- Her symptoms began in October with speech changes, leading from a dentist visit through multiple referrals to a neurologist who noted tongue abnormalities consistent with bulbar ALS.
- Viewers raised concerns in November about her slurred speech, with some asking if she was drunk, which she addressed in a January social media video while seeking answers.
- The longtime forecaster, at WHO 13 since 2004, has tried speech therapy, feels her speech is worsening, and plans to focus on family and purpose.