Hosea Sanders

Hosea Sanders, veteran news anchor at WLS-Channel 7, said he will undergo surgery for prostate cancer Wednesday and added that he was “very optimistic about the outcome.”

Sanders, 59, told friends in a Facebook post Tuesday night that he had been diagnosed several weeks ago and would be “taking some time off” from the ABC-owned station, where he’s now in his 23rd year as an anchor and reporter.

He currently co-anchors the 7 p.m. weeknight newscast with Cheryl Burton, produced by ABC 7 for Weigel Broadcasting’s WCIU-Channel 26.

“My doctors tell me that African-American men are especially at risk of developing prostate cancer,” Sanders wrote. “My father was one of those men. I share this information to remind you to get yourself checked out. It's a simple blood test. It could save your life.”

A native of Arkadelphia, Arkansas, and a graduate of Henderson State University, Sanders began in television at KARK, the NBC affiliate in Little Rock, Arkansas, and later worked at KDFW, the former CBS affiliate in Dallas, and KCBS, the CBS-owned station in Los Angeles.

He joined ABC 7 in 1994, anchoring the weekday morning newscast until 2015 when shifted to "ABC7 Eyewitness News on WCIU The U."

Here is the text of Sanders’s Facebook message:

Friends,

I will be taking some time off from Eyewitness News.

Several weeks ago I was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

I will be undergoing surgery on Wednesday morning as part of the treatment.

I'm in the care of some outstanding professionals and I'm very optimistic about the outcome.


My doctors tell me that African-American men are especially at risk of developing prostate cancer.

My father was one of those men.

I share this information to remind you to get yourself checked out.

It's a simple blood test.

It could save your life.

Thank you for your support and prayers.

I will see you soon.

Hosea