DIANE BELL
has reported on numerous health stories during her 20 years at KFMB. “They just don’t know.”
Doctors advised her that once she passed a 21-day window, a second rupture was far less likely. “Those three weeks felt like a ticking time bomb,” she said. “I was afraid every time I sneezed.”
Edwards is taking her time, recovering a little each day at home in Encinitas surrounded by her family and two dogs. The dizzy episodes and sensitivity to light still persist. “I wore sunglasses inside Costco,” she laughed.
She takes short walks but says she’s not well enough yet to work out. She follows a healthy diet. “I’ve gotten to know my kitchen very well,” she added.
After years of reporting late-night news, Edwards now goes to bed at 9 p.m.
“Fatigue, mild brain fog and headaches usually show up in the early afternoon,” she posted online in February. “But, again, this is normal and I know my situation could have been much worse.”
Marcella Lee, who has been taking Edwards’ place at the anchor desk, visited her on Feb. 24, and they recorded a segment to air on the KFMB news while seated on Edwards’ patio. Between them was a pillow bearing the apropos message, “Enjoy the little things.” It had been an earlier gift from Lee.
“I’ll keep your seat warm until you get back,” Lee announced after the segment aired. “We miss her,” added Cecchetto. “This is a frustrating time for all of us. We’d like her to get better quick and get back here fast, but this takes some time.”
Edwards has emphasized that her goal is to return to the anchor desk and she’ll do whatever it takes to make that happen, but it’s too soon to say when.
For Edwards, who describes herself as a Type A personality who grabs the newspaper and peruses Twitter and other websites as soon as she gets up to prepare to report on what’s happening in the world, this lifestyle is a definite change of pace.
A Canadian by birth, she began working at the station anchor desk in 2001. Shortly thereafter, the 9/11 terrorist attack occurred, and she headed to the Qualcomm Stadium parking lot the next morning to take part in the formation of a human U.S. f lag. “I still have my red T-shirt,” she said.
Since then, there have been a number of special news moments — visiting the White House to interview President Barack Obama on the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact, chatting with Oprah Winfrey via satellite, interviewing then Vice President Joe Biden at the Port of San Diego and guest co-hosting a segment of Anderson Cooper’s former talk show in New York.
She also has been a proactive proponent of women’s health issues and a supporter of Susan G. Komen breast cancer fundraising events.
Edwards said her spirits have been lifted by the many warm wishes, prayers and notes she gets with expressions of concern.
“One thing that people have said that makes me stop and realize how lucky I am is: ‘We miss you because you’re in our house every day and we feel like you are part of the family.’ ”
She says she has too many things to be grateful for to let this experience get her down.
Enough is enough. Recently I was awakened at 6:43 a.m. with a call that my Social Security account had been hacked. I blocked the call. The next day I was awakened again, this time at 6:22 a.m. with the same scam. And this repeats like Groundhog Day.
I now sleep with the phone off the hook to be able to sleep in. I have more than 160 blocked calls at all hours. Each phone number blocked is just one different than the last one.
When is the government going to start clamping down on these “obscene” calls?
Mike Sheehan Tierrasanta