Veteran reporters like Leroy Sievers can work in relative obscurity for thirty years (he covered major stories for CBS and ABC, and then was Nightline’s executive producer), before stepping fully in the public eye (opening up the whole world’s heart in fact), with an uplifting personal recovery story.

In Sievers’ case, it’s cancer he’s talking about, and he’s already composed many commentaries for NPR about his travails and complex thoughts. Get podcasts here, or follow his blog. Or click here to have his weekly progress emailed to you.