Dear KPCC supporters, listeners and community members,

This morning, KPCC Morning Edition host Steve Julian and his wife, Felicia, sent a note to the Southern California Public Radio staff about a serious health issue that has kept Steve off the air these past two weeks. We wanted SCPR’s listeners, readers, supporters and community members to hear this news from us, with permission from Steve and Felicia.

Here’s part of their note, from Felicia:

"Friends and Family and everyone in between,

We are so sorry that this information is being relayed this way.  We are so blessed with so many of you, and there are only two of us.  So we hope you'll forgive the impersonal nature of a blog post. 

On the day before Thanksgiving, Steve and I were informed that he had a large mass on the left side of his thalamus.  We have since worked feverishly to determine if we could get it out of him safely and what his treatment options were. We have here in LA some of the most skilled surgeons in the country and tried to find the best path, hopeful for something we could call good news.   

Doctors are not gods.  And it was revealed to us that removal is not the best course to preserve his quality of life.  

The plan is to do a biopsy...  While we have the best doctors and the best team, it is still a risky procedure due to the location of the tumor.  We need to find out what kind of tumor we are confronting.  The pathology will tell us how to best treat it." 

We’ll keep the rest of the note internal to KPCC, but Steve and Felicia wanted listeners to know why he won’t be on the air right now helping them start their weekdays and make their way through morning traffic, as he has for so many years.

We know our friends need privacy as they manage this process and focus on Steve’s health, and they asked that people not contact them for now. There is a way to help that we’ll include here, again from Felicia’s note:

"And now for the part where I answer the question, 'what can I do for Steve?'  We are lucky.  We have so much love.  And not insignificantly, friends to help us with errands and grocery runs.  We also have good medical insurance.  But even with this in place, our out-of-pocket medical expenses will be very high and our income will be significantly reduced. 

Your help gives us the room to breathe a little easier and worry a little less.  At a time when we are surrounded by fear, having some peace of mind can be an incredible gift.  Thank you for your love and support.  Click here to contribute.

Thank you.