Journalist Leroy Sievers Dies of Colon Cancer

Leroy Sievers, the renowned journalist and the former Nightline executive producer who documented his battle with cancer on his NPR blog, died Saturday night at his home in Maryland. He was 53.

In a statement, the National Public Radio announced death of the journalist who worked at ABC News’ “Nightline” for 14 years and at CBS News for 10 years.

Leroy, who was first diagnosed with colon cancer in 2006, kept a blog and podcast, called My Cancer, on the NPR website that dealt with his struggle with metastatic colon cancer. ‘My cancer’ is a daily account of my life and my fight with cancer,” Leroy wrote on his blog.

In his blog, Sievers expressed his thoughts on his illness, as well as put updates on his treatment and any scans and tests he underwent. On June 9, 2008, Sievers stated on it that his latest scans had found new tumors in his brain, shoulder blades, liver, pelvis and lungs.

After two brain surgeries, three lengthy back surgeries, multiple rounds of chemotherapy, radiation and radiofrequency ablation, he recently gave up his terrible daily fight with the deadly disease. “My doctors are trying to kill me,” he wrote on his blog.

Early this month, Sievers wrote on his blog that he and his wife had decided to pursue hospice care, which would allow others to help manage what remained of his life.

"Leroy gave voice to a topic that we are very uncomfortable with -- death and dying," Ellen McDonnell, NPR's morning programming director said in a statement. "My Cancer had a face and a heart and a smile."

Leory was a journalist who won 12 national news Emmy Awards, two Peabody Awards, and two Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards.

He was one of Ted Koppel's executive producers at Nightline, and later moved to the Discovery Channel where he oversaw the 2007 documentary "Our Children's Children's War," which aired in March 2007.

Leory was also part of the Discovery Channel program entitled Living with Cancer, hosted by his friend Koppel, which aired on Discovery in May, 2007.