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Who was Jovita Moore? – On Friday morning, family members, close friends, and a few Atlanta dignitaries gathered to pay their respects to Channel 2 reporter Jovita Moore.

Moore died of an aggressive form of brain cancer on Oct. 28. Atlanta has welcomed her into their homes for the past 23 years, first as a reporter and then as the face of Channel 2 Action News.

Friends and family gathered in the sanctuary of Saint Philip AME Church on Friday to honor the life of a caring mother, a confidante, and a dedicated professional.

Tymeka McNeal Juniors, a dear friend, said, “I love you big sis, and I will carry you in my heart forever.”

Hymnals were strewn about the room, a reminder of a woman who embodied the spirit. Dr. Jamal Bryant of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church and Dr. Martin Luther King’s daughter, Bernice King, were among the speakers.

“It shows when people have an authentic heart,” Bryant said. “She wasn’t just a talk show host.” She was a compassionate, down-to-earth person. “She was Wonder Woman without the bracelets,” says the author.

Friends said she finished the task God assigned to her on this planet.

Moore’s mother, Yvonne, was thanked by King for raising such a remarkable woman.

“Before I pray, I feel compelled to congratulate ‘Momma Yvonne.’ “You did a fantastic job,” King remarked.

In a single phrase, one of her closest friends summed up her life.

Her friend said, “Jovita lived a life full of light.” “Because she was here, everyone she touched along her beautiful journey will shine a little brighter.”

Those who knew Jovita best remembered her as a caring mother, a dedicated professional, and a loving mother. Ray Carter, the current General Manager of WSB, was a long-time friend of Jovita’s.

Carter described her as “bright, curious, driven, and compassionate.”

WSB-TV was looking for a male anchor in the 1990s, according to Carter. At the time, Moore was anchoring and reporting from Memphis.

“But as we were looking at his work, our eyes were drawn to the woman sitting next to the male anchor who hoped to land a job at WSB,” Carter said.

Former WSB-TV General Manager Tim McVay remembered her as inspiring.

“She motivated and inspired everyone she met, and the people who watched her every day,” McVay said.

“Jovita was really, really smart. She made a difficult story seem so easy to tell,” Channel 2 Photojournalist Damon McGhee added.

Former WSB-TV anchor John Pruitt said Moore’s legacy will last forever.

The celebration book offered a quote from Moore:

“Forgive, forget, give the hugs, say the words, do the things. Life is too short.”

Moore was laid to rest at Arlington Memorial Park in Sandy Springs. She leaves behind her mother and three children.

You can send the family your well wishes at 1601 West Peachtree Street.

Who was Jovita Moore?

Jovita Moore, an award-winning news anchor at WSB-TV in Atlanta died Thursday, seven months after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer.

Moore, who was 53, was with WSB-TV since 1998. Prior to joining the station, she worked at WMC-TV in Memphis and KFSM in Fayetteville, Arkansas and Fort Smith Arkansas.

Moore received several Emmy Awards during her career at WSB-TV in Atlanta and covered decades of major news events, including former President Barack Obama’s inauguration in 2009.

The longtime journalist was diagnosed with glioblastoma earlier this year. She went to a doctor in April after feeling forgetful and disoriented, including describing feeling faint in a grocery store parking lot.

WSB-TV anchor Jovita Moore died Thursday in Atlanta.WSB-TV anchor Jovita Moore died Thursday in Atlanta.

“I was really concerned about why all of a sudden I was forgetful, disoriented and just not feeling myself. Feeling like I was in a fog and really wanting to get out of that fog,” Moore said earlier this year.

Doctors discovered that she had two small masses in her brain, and she underwent surgery to remove them. Treatment can slow the brain cancer’s progression, but a cure for glioblastoma is often not possible.

Moore’s death prompted an outpouring of mourning and support on social media. Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms shared in a statement on Twitter that her family is “deeply saddened by the loss of our friend.”

“Even those who did not know her personally felt a deep and personal connection to Jovita,” the mayor shared.

Rev. Bernice King, the CEO of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, shared that Moore “was a tremendous blessing to metro Atlanta and the world.”

Who was Jovita Moore? Friends and family gather to pay their final respectsWho was Jovita Moore? Friends and family gather to pay their final respects
Who was Jovita Moore? Friends and family gather to pay their final respects

More Fact About Jovita Moore

  • Jovita began her career as a reporter at KFSM-TV in Fayetteville, Arkansas in 1990. Jovita is a native New Yorker. She earned a Master’s Degree in Journalism from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
  • She received her Bachelor of Arts degree, with a major in literature, from Bennington College in Bennington, Vermont. Jovita made the 2007 list of 40 Under 40 by Georgia Trend magazine and is member of Leadership Atlanta’s Class of 2007.
  • She currently sits on the Boards of the Center for the Visually Impaired, Dress for Success and the DeKalb Symphony Orchestra. She’s a past Vice President/Broadcast for the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists.
  • She’s a sustaining member of the Junior League of Atlanta and a former member of the Board of Directors of the YWCA of Greater Atlanta. Dedicated to helping communities around the metro Atlanta area, Jovita donates countless hours working with civic associations, hosting events for community agencies and mentoring students.
  • Jovita is a member of Outstanding Atlanta’s Class of 2004 and has also been featured in Jezebel’s 50 Most Beautiful.
  • Jovita is an Emmy award winner and has been awarded by the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists.

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Brain cancer facts you need to know
What Is Brain Cancer?What Is Brain Cancer?

Brain cancer is a malignant growth of abnormal brain cells in the brain.

  • Brain cancer can arise from many different types of brain cells (primary brain cancer) or occur when cancer cells from other parts of the body spread (metastasize) to the brain. True brain cancers are those that arise in the brain itself.
  • Grades of brain cancers indicate how aggressive the cancer is.
  • Type of brain cancer indicates what kind of brain cells that gave rise to the tumor.
  • Staging of brain cancers indicates the extent of spread of the cancer.
  • Causes of brain cancer are difficult to prove; avoiding compounds linked to cancer production is advised.
  • Brain cancer symptoms vary but often include
    • weakness,
    • difficulty walking and/or dizziness,
    • seizures, and
    • headaches.
  • Other common brain cancer symptoms are
    • nausea;
    • vomiting;
    • blurry vision;
    • a change in a person’s alertness, mental capacity, memory, speech, or personality; and
    • some patients may hallucinate.
  • Diagnostic tests for brain cancer involve a history, physical exam, and usually a CT or MRI brain imaging procedure; sometimes a brain tissue biopsy is done.
  • Treatments usually are directed by a team of doctors and are designed for the individual patient; treatments may include surgery, radiotherapy, or chemotherapy, often in combination.
  • Side effects of treatments range from mild to severe, and patients need to discuss plans with their treatment team members to clearly understand potential side effects and their prognosis (outcomes).
  • Depending on the brain cancer type and overall health status of the patient, brain cancer frequently has only a fair to poor prognosis; children have a somewhat better prognosis.

What is brain cancer?

Brain cancer is a disease of the brain in which cancer cells (malignant cells) arise in the brain tissue (cancer of the brain). Cancer cells grow to form a mass of cancer tissue (tumor) that interferes with brain functions such as muscle control, sensation, memory, and other normal body functions.

Tumors composed of cancer cells are called malignant tumors, and those composed of mainly noncancerous cells are called benign tumors. Cancer cells that develop from brain tissue are called primary brain tumors while tumors that spread from other body sites to the brain are termed metastatic or secondary brain tumors.

Statistics suggest that brain cancer occurs infrequently (1.4% of all new cancer patients per year), so it is not considered to be a common illness and is likely to develop in about 23,770 new people per year with about 16,050 deaths as estimated by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the American Cancer Society. Only about 5% of brain tumors may be due to hereditary genetic conditions such as neurofibromatosis, tuberous sclerosis, and a few others.

What are the types of brain cancers?

Primary brain tumors begin in the brain cells.

Meningiomas are the primary brain tumors that are the most common. More than 35% of primary brain tumors are meningiomas.

The most common primary brain tumors are usually named for the brain tissue type (including brain stem cancers) from which they originally developed.

  • Five brain tumors are gliomas, meningiomas, pituitary adenomas, vestibular schwannomas, and primitive neuroectodermal tumors (medulloblastomas).
    • Gliomas have several subtypes, which include astrocytomas (for example, an astrocytoma is a brain cancer composed of abnormal brain cells known as astrocytes), oligodendrogliomas, ependymomas, and choroid plexus papillomas. Glioblastomas arise from astrocytes and are usually highly aggressive (malignant) tumors; doctors diagnosed Senator John McCain with this form of brain tumor.
  • These names all reflect different types of cells in the normal brain that can become cancers. When the grades are coupled with the tumor name, it gives doctors a better understanding of the severity of brain cancer. For example, a grade III (anaplastic) glioma is an aggressive tumor, while an acoustic neuroma is a grade I benign tumor.
  • However, even benign tumors can cause serious problems if they grow big enough to cause increased intracranial pressure or obstruct vascular structures or cerebrospinal fluid flow.

What are four grades of brain cancers?

Not all brain tumors are alike, even if they arise from the same type of brain tissue. Tumors are assigned a grade depending on how the cells in the tumor appear microscopically. The grade also provides insight as to the cell’s growth rate. NCI lists the following grades from benign to most aggressive (grade IV):
  • Grade I: The tissue is benign. The cells look nearly like normal brain cells, and they grow slowly.
  • Grade II: The tissue is malignant. The cells look less like normal cells than do the cells in a grade I tumor.
  • Grade III: The malignant tissue has cells that look very different from normal cells. The abnormal cells are actively growing and have a distinctly abnormal appearance (anaplastic).
  • Grade IV: The malignant tissue has cells that look most abnormal and tend to grow quickly.

What are the stages of brain cancer?

Brain cancers are staged (stage describes the extent of the cancer) according to their cell type and grade because they seldom spread to other organs, while other cancers, such as breast or lung cancer, are staged according to so-called TMN staging which is based on the location and spread of cancer cells. In general, these cancer stages range from 0 to 4; with stage 4 indicating the cancer has spread to another organ (highest stage is 4).

What is metastatic brain cancer?

Cancer cells that develop in a body organ such as the lung (primary cancer tissue type) can spread via direct extension, or through the lymphatic system and/or through the bloodstream to other body organs such as the brain. Tumors formed by such cancer cells that spread (metastasize) to other organs are called metastatic tumors. Metastatic brain cancer is a mass of cells (tumor) that originated in another body organ and has spread into the brain tissue.

Metastatic tumors in the brain are more common than primary brain tumors. They are usually named after the tissue or organ where the cancer first developed (for example, metastatic lung or breast cancer tumors in the brain, which are the most common types found). Occasionally, an abbreviated name may be used that often confuses people; for example, “small cell brain cancer” actually means “small cell lung cancer that has metastasized to the brain.” People should not hesitate to ask their doctor about any terms they do not understand or about the origin of their cancer.

What causes brain cancer?

Primary brain tumors arise from many types of brain tissue (for example, glial cells, astrocytes, and other brain cell types). Metastatic brain cancer is caused by the spread of cancer cells from a body organ to the brain. However, the causes for the change from normal cells to cancer cells in both metastatic and primary brain tumors are not fully understood. Data gathered by research scientists show that people with certain risk factors are more likely to develop brain cancer.

Individuals with risk factors, such as having a job in an oil refinery, handlers of jet fuel or chemicals like benzene, chemists, embalmers, or rubber-industry workers, show higher rates of brain cancer than the general population. Some families have several members with brain cancer, but heredity (genetic passage of traits from parents to children) as a cause for brain tumors has not been proven. Other risk factors such as smoking, radiation exposure, and viral infection (HIV) have been suggested but not proven to cause brain cancer. There is no good evidence that brain cancer is contagious, caused by head trauma, or caused by cell phone use. Although many lay press and web articles claim that aspartame (an artificial sweetener) causes brain cancer, the FDA maintains that it does not cause brain cancer and base their findings on over 100 toxicological and clinical studies regarding the sweetener’s safety.

What is the treatment for brain cancer?

A treatment plan is individualized for each brain cancer patient. The treatment plan is constructed by the doctors who specialize in brain cancer, and treatments vary widely depending on the cancer type, brain location, tumor size, patient age, and the patient’s general health status. A major part of the plan is also determined by the patient’s wishes. Patients should discuss treatment options with their health care providers.

Surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy are the major treatment categories for most brain cancers. Individual treatment plans often include a combination of these treatments. Surgical therapy attempts to remove all of the tumor cells by cutting the tumor away from normal brain tissue. This surgery that involves opening the skull (craniotomy) is often termed invasive surgery to distinguish it from noninvasive radiosurgery or radiation therapy described below. Some brain cancers are termed inoperable by surgeons because attempting to remove the cancer may cause further brain damage or death. However, a brain cancer termed inoperable by one surgeon may be considered operable by another surgeon. Patients with a diagnosis of an inoperable brain tumor should consider seeking a second opinion before surgical treatment is abandoned.

Radiation therapy attempts to destroy tumor cells by using high-energy radiation focused onto the tumor to destroy the tumor cells’ ability to function and replicate. Radiosurgery is a nonsurgical procedure that delivers a single high dose of precisely targeted radiation using highly focused gamma-ray or X-ray beams that converge on the specific area or areas of the brain where the tumor or other abnormality is located, minimizing the amount of radiation to healthy brain tissue. Equipment used to do radiosurgery varies in its radiation source; a gamma knife uses focused gamma rays, and a linear accelerator uses photons, while heavy-charged particle radiosurgery uses a proton beam. Tomotherapy is a type of radiotherapy in which radiation is delivered in a highly precise and individualized manner that minimizes radiation exposure to healthy tissue; it has also been used to treat brain cancer.

Chemotherapy attempts to destroy tumor cells using chemicals (drugs) that are designed to destroy specific types of cancer cells. There are many chemical agents used; specific drug therapies are numerous, and each regimen is usually designed for the specific type of brain cancer and individualized for each patient. For example, bevacizumab (Avastin) is a drug approved for treatment of glioblastomas (glioblastoma multiforme). Chemotherapy can be administered intrathecally (into the cerebrospinal fluid by a spinal tap or through a surgically placed permanent reservoir under the scalp attached through a sterile tubing placed into the fluid-containing chambers in the brain), by IV administration, and biodegradable chemically impregnated polymers. All treatments attempt to spare normal brain cells.

Other treatment options may include hyperthermia (heat treatments), immunotherapy (immune cells directed to kill certain cancer cell types), or steroids to reduce inflammation and brain swelling. These may be added on to other treatment plans.

Clinical trials (treatment plans designed by scientists and physicians to try new chemicals or treatment methods on patients) can be another way for patients to obtain treatment specifically for their cancer cell type. Clinical trials are part of the research efforts to produce better treatments for all disease types. Stem cell treatments for brain and brain stem cancers and other conditions may be available, because research with patients is ongoing using these potential therapies. The best treatment for brain cancer is designed by the team of cancer specialists in conjunction with the wishes of the patient.

Are there any home remedies for brain cancer?

There are many home remedies that make claims of being effective in treating brain cancer (and many other cancers). Most are nutrition or supplements like herbs, fish oils, chokeberry, and many others. Most have little or no research data to support their claims. Before using such compounds, discuss their use with your doctors.

What are the side effects of brain cancer treatment?

Side effects of brain cancer treatment vary with the treatment plan (for example, surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation) and the overall health status of the patient. Most treatment plans try to keep all side effects to a minimum. For some patients, the side effects of brain cancer treatment can be severe. Treatment plans should include a discussion of potential side effects and the likelihood of them developing, so the patient and their caregivers (family, friends) can make appropriate treatment decisions in conjunction with their medical team. Also, if side effects develop, the patient has some knowledge of what to do about them such as when to take certain medicines (for example, anti-nausea medication is frequently given) or when to call their doctor to report health changes.

Surgical side effects include an increase in current symptoms, damage to normal brain tissue, brain swelling, and seizures. Other symptoms of changes in brain function such as muscle weakness, mental changes, and decreases in any brain-controlled function can occur. Combinations of these side effects may happen. The side effects are most noticeable shortly after surgery but frequently decline over time. Occasionally, the side effects do not go away.

Chemotherapy usually affects (damages or kills) rapidly growing cancer cells but also can affect normal tissue. Chemotherapy is usually given intravenously so the drugs can reach most body organs. Common side effects of chemotherapy are nausea, vomiting, hair loss, and loss of energy. The immune system is often depressed by chemotherapy, which results in a high susceptibility to infections. Other systems, such as the kidneys and the reproductive organs, may also be damaged by chemotherapy and are complications of therapy. Most of the side effects decline over time, but some may not.

Radiation therapy has most of the same side effects as chemotherapy. Most radiation therapy is focused onto the brain cancer tissue, so some systems do not receive direct radiation (immune system, kidneys, and others). The effects on systems not receiving the direct radiation are usually not as severe as those seen with chemotherapy. However, hair and skin are usually affected, resulting in hair loss (sometimes permanently) and reddish and darkened skin that needs protection from the sun.

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