WABC-TV anchor Bill Ritter shares new details of Alzheimer's diagnosis, future at work
Veteran New York City news anchor Bill Ritter is sharing new details about his experience with Alzheimer's disease after announcing on-air that he was stepping away from the anchor desk following his diagnosis.
Ritter, who has anchored the 6 p.m. newscast for ABC New York station WABC since 2001, said Monday on "Good Morning America" that he first began experiencing symptoms of Alzheimer's disease around two years ago, when he was anchoring the nightly 5 p.m., 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts.
"I realized I was I was forgetting people, names, and places," Ritter, 76, said in a live interview on "GMA." "I didn't know why that was happening. My wife also noticed it."
Ritter said he scaled back on work, in hopes of less stress and more sleep helping his symptoms, but noticed his forgetfulness was still present.
"It wasn't getting better, and so it was at that moment, just like that, we said, 'You know what, I've got to get tested,'" Ritter said. "And that was really an important thing."
Alzheimer's disease is the most common form of dementia, the loss of memory, problem-solving and thinking abilities. It is a progressive disease that begins with mild memory loss and ultimately has no cure, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In his on-air announcement, Ritter said he was diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer's, adding that his doctors have told him treatments he is receiving are keeping the disease "at bay" so far.
Ritter said when he received his Alzheimer's diagnosis, his first reaction was fear due to his family history. His late father had Lewy body dementia, a type of dementia that can cause complications with movement, behavior, thinking and mood, according to the CDC.
"My first reaction was I thought about my dad, that was immediate -- he just popped into my head, and then a couple of seconds later, I was scared," Ritter said. "I don't mind saying that it was scary."
Ritter said his thoughts then immediately turned to his wife and his children and the impact his diagnosis would have on them.
"Alzheimer's is ... a thing that gobbles up families, and they're the real tough ones in this," Ritter said. "My kids say, 'Dad, you're so brave about all this,' and I'm not the one that's brave. It's my kids and my wife who are the brave ones. That's the real case here."
Since announcing his diagnosis on-air during the 11 p.m. broadcast on June 12, Ritter said he has been overwhelmed by love and support. He said he decided to share his diagnosis live on-air to "be honest" with viewers and to raise awareness about Alzheimer's disease.
In the U.S., Alzheimer's disease is the seventh leading cause of death among adults, and millions of people live with the disease, according to the CDC.
The risk of getting Alzheimer's disease increases with age, with the disease typically affecting people over the age of 60.
"I think we have an opportunity ... I wasn't aware of the opportunity so much until this weekend happened," Ritter said. "And we were just inundated with information and people saying, 'Help us,' really."
Ritter said moving forward, he plans to continue working for WABC in a new role focused on bringing people together.
"I'm going to go to my desk and have day one of my first day of the job, the new job, and that will be to bring people into the tent, because I think that's what we want," he said.
