Tanya Sumner, a former Indianapolis ABC affiliate WRTV news anchor, has died. She was 53.
The journalist and politician was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of colon cancer in November 2022 following an emergency surgery. WRTV reports that Sumner died in her home on May 24.
“Time. Good health. Those are our only true commodities. Our only true currencies that matter,” Sumner wrote in her final post on Facebook.
Sumner spent 20 years as a television journalist, 10 of which she spent at WRTV, where she was known as Tanya Spencer before getting married. The former Indianapolis, Indiana, news anchor left her post to pursue other dreams like running for local government and serving District Three on the Whitestown Town Council.
Whitestown Town Manager Katie Barr, said in a statement, “The town of Whitestown has lost a dedicated leader who will leave a void in all our hearts. Vice President Sumner wasn’t just a dedicated councilwoman, she was ingrained in our community and cared deeply for her family, friends, neighbors, and colleagues. Her love for this community was infectious and will be sorely missed.”
Sumner opened up about her battle with cancer in a report that aired on WRTV in November 2023. The television personality said she had a rare genetic mutation called Kras G12C, which was “very aggressive” and “very fast growing.”
To treat the cancer, Sumner went through rounds of chemotherapy, which ultimately didn’t help. Sumner also tried a drug treatment that didn’t stop the spread of cancer.
In the 2023 report, Sumner advised viewers to get a colonoscopy as early as possible to catch the cancer before it’s too late. The CDC recommends people get a colorectal cancer screening at the age of 45.