DAILY NEWS CLIP: January 14, 2025

Popular CT radio personality reveals cancer diagnosis


Hartford Courant – Monday, January 13, 2025
By Sean Krofssik

AJ from the WPLR’s “Chaz and AJ Show” revealed on the air last Monday that he recently has battled a variety of health issues including a cancer diagnosis.

The popular radio co-host is undergoing treatment for multiple myeloma, a cancer that affects the plasma cells in bone marrow.

“It is not terrible, but it is concerning,” AJ said on the Jan. 6 show. “It was diagnosed that I have multiple myeloma which is kind of like a blood disease, a blood cancer and what happens is the white blood cells beating the crap out of the healthy red cells.”

AJ said the cancer was discovered during an anemia test. He said he also received multiple spinal taps, and the diagnosis was confirmed before starting treatment. AJ said doctors are optimistic about his recovery.

“They caught it early so I started my treatment already and I start a different kind of treatment coming up this week — a more aggressive one. And given my age and history and being a little stronger, they have a good feeling they can bring me back either exactly how I was or very close to how I was before,” AJ said.

His radio partner Chaz said he knew AJ was fasting and initially thought he was just losing weight from a diet.

“I went from 188 to 134 and that’s how far I went down in a span from June to two weeks ago,” AJ said. “I’ve rebounded and gained some weight, and I’m back up to 146.”

In addition to this diagnosis, AJ said has also been dealing with two external hernias, one on each side, as well as a diaphragm hernia.

“The diaphragm hernia is concerning,” AJ said. “About 25% of my intestines were in my right chest, crushing my lung. That’s the reason I was breathing the way I was. … Basically, I was being suffocated.”

“I was going to get my cancer treatments, and I couldn’t go five feet without having to stop and gasp for air and the girl was looking at me that something was wrong with me, and she alerted the doctor and everyone said to get me out of there and get me across the street into the hospital.”

AJ said that was on Friday, Dec. 20. AJ was rushed to the Griffin Hospital emergency room and was transferred to Yale New Haven Hospital for surgery. AJ said the surgery was on Dec. 23 and he woke up on Christmas Eve.

“Basically, they had to take all of my intestines out of my chest, and I had to wait there for a couple of days for that lung to wake up again, which it did,” AJ said. “It was trampled the entire time. Picture you park your car on a bush and the bush has to die out and that’s what I was doing every single day. I was being trampled.”

AJ also said that in addition to the collapsed lung, the hernia also displaced his heart.

Chaz said he spoke with AJ shortly after the surgery and ‘I heard night and day with your voice and your lung wasn’t even back yet,” he said.

AJ said he felt more power and was able to breathe in deeply again after his collapsed lung was repaired.

“They had to put everything back and they had to sew the hole, and they had to put an extra heavy gauge over that hole to make sure it doesn’t happen again,” AJ said.

With the internal hernia taken care of, he still needs repairs of his two external hernias.

During his treatment, it was discovered that AJ also had three fractured vertebrae in his lower back, an effect due to the multiple myeloma.

“It all happened at once. I’m like a damaged car,” AJ said. “I have more to go. I have two hernias to fix, and I have to eradicate this myeloma thing and then they have to fix my lower back. Right now, that’s the one that hurts the most.”

“ICU and emergency nurses all work hard,” AJ said. “If you have a nurse in your life, give them a big hug because they work really hard.”

Since the announcement, there has been an outpouring of support on the Chaz & AJ Facebook page with thousands of comments of support.

The “Chaz and AJ Show” airs from 5:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. weekdays on 99.1 WPLR and 95.9 The Fox. The duo has been on the air since 2003.

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