Georgia news anchor reveals brain tumor diagnosis. What she said about her symptoms

Jovita Moore said it felt “almost like walking in quicksand” during a grocery store run with her son this week.

The veteran TV journalist, who anchors the evening newscast at WSB-TV in Atlanta, said she wasn’t sure she would make it to the front entrance. Days later, an MRI would reveal two small tumors on her brain, according to the news station.

Moore is scheduled to undergo surgery Friday to have the masses removed, unleashing a flood of prayers and well wishes from viewers, fans and journalists. She’s been at the station for more than 20 years, and she recalled not feeling quite right before the Monday evening newscast.

“I was really concerned about why all of a sudden I was forgetful, disoriented and just not feeling myself,” Moore told WSB-TV colleague Justin Farmer. “Feeling like I was in a fog and really wanting to get out of that fog.”

Nearly 80,000 people in the United States receive a primary brain tumor diagnosis each year, according to the National Institutes of Health. The abnormal growths affect people of all ages, including children, and can form in a variety of ways.

“There are over 130 different types of primary brain tumors,” said neuro-oncologist Dr. Mark R. Gilbert, the NIH reports. Symptoms can be “either dramatic or subtle.”

Seizures are considered an extreme symptom, Gilbert said. Less-severe symptoms include memory issues, headaches, weakness on one side of the body, trouble balancing or walking, and mood swings.

Symptoms often depend on the size, type and location of the tumor, considering that the growths “can squeeze vital parts of the brain and lead to serious health problems,” according to NIH.

Moore remained upbeat ahead of her surgery Friday and said she was grateful that she didn’t ignore the signs.

“It was a blessing in disguise that I almost passed out walking into Publix,” she told WSB-TV.

Kind words continued to pour in Friday afternoon as viewers took to social media to wish Moore a speedy recovery.

“Ms. Jovita Moore has been with me every morning since I can remember,” one viewer wrote on Twitter. “Stay up auntie.”

“Lifting Jovita in prayer. We believe in His healing power,” WSB-TV investigative reporter Nicole Carr wrote.