Fox59 News’ Lindy Thackston in the Momlight
We all know how daunting it can be to wake up day after day and start that monotonous early morning routine. And so does consummate news professional Lindy Thackston.
In fact after consuming copious amounts of caffeine, we often tune in to the Fox 59 Morning Show with the charismatic and entertaining Lindy Thackston. She and the morning crew strive to help their viewers begin their days with a bit of familiarity, optimism, and, most importantly, humor! Did anyone catch Blue - the Colts mascot - smash a pie in the morning crew's face this week? The show provides an accessible and friendly vibe for Indy residents and informs us about local news and happenings.
This is the Fox59 family Lindy Thackston has come to know and love.
Lindy is touched when viewers tell her they feel like they really know her because, according to Lindy, they do! "Our producers really encourage us to have our true personality and talk about our lives and our families, and I love that aspect of the work." Whether it's sharing adorable stories of her son's fascination with his toy vacuum or relating to viewers about the stresses of juggling motherhood and a career, Lindy is not shy about letting the viewers get a glimpse into her life.
A Hoosier native, born and raised in Frankfort, Indiana (home of the hotdog!) Lindy can't remember a time she didn't want to be in broadcasting. The Indy 500 played an integral role in her beginnings, and she has retained her connection to the iconic race to this day! She attributes her role as an Indy 500 Princess in college to being the starting point of her career. This position enabled her to land two internships at news stations. Her career spans over two decades and is terrifically varied. Although many are familiar with Lindy from the local news, she is also a longtime announcer for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway PA Team; previous IMS work includes years of pit reporting for the Indy Car series. You may even remember her announcing from the sidelines of college football back in the day, or more recently as the emcee of the Indiana Pacers games. Perhaps you even caught her anchoring on the TV Guide Network once upon a time!
Like so many busy mamas, Lindy was tired.
Like, all.the.time. Waking up at 2:00 am to host a morning news show, chasing after her adorable (and simultaneously exhausting) four-year-old boy, who wouldn't feel like they were living from one espresso shot to the next? However, on a trip to Disney World in February 2020, Lindy's husband Chris pointed out that this didn't seem like run-of-the-mill fatigue. He was concerned and urged her to get checked out. Symptoms mirroring colitis and crohns were also beginning to interfere with her daily life, so she soon sought medical treatment.
Unfortunately, the prognosis was even bleaker than she had anticipated. After her colonoscopy was delayed 3 times due to Covid shutdowns and restrictions, Lindy learned she had stage 3 colorectal cancer. Over the next year, she embarked on a harrowing journey to rid her body of cancer.
At first, Lindy was able to keep working while she started her chemotherapy pills and radiation.
She shared her diagnosis with viewers and was candid as well as vulnerable throughout the process. Eventually, the exhaustive cancer treatments forced Lindy to take an extended leave of absence. In what felt like a surreal period, Lindy went through surgery to remove the tumor, 3 additional surgeries, 10 rounds of chemotherapy pills and radiation, and extensive hospital stays, including multiple ER visits. Several life-threatening complications were interspersed throughout her agonizing treatment period. "It was so difficult to look at my son and not know if I was going to be there for his next birthday. I never had times where I wanted to give up. I definitely had times where I understood how people would. But being a mom, it was just not an option."
On April 12th, 2021, Lindy rang the Chemo Bell.
She eased back into work about a month later, slowly adding in an hour at a time. A goal of Lindy’s was to be well enough to announce at this year's Indy 500, and she did!! Lindy attributes her survival to her medical team, the tremendous outpouring of support from family, friends, and the community, as well as her primary caretaker, her husband, Chris Hogue.
““Caregivers don’t get enough attention and support. Chris did everything for me; I could not have survived without him. I mean that literally!” ”
Being a cancer survivor is not a return to business-as-usual.
Lindy has damage from the radiation and is now awaiting results on a lung biopsy. Cancer has taken a significant toll on her physical and mental health. She had no shame in sharing that she was seeking out professional help to deal with its trauma.
Becoming an advocate for colorectal cancer research and awareness has given Lindy a positive outlet to deal with her diagnosis. She will be hosting the Colorectal Cancer Alliance Blue Hope Bash in Indy on October 9th, 2021. In addition, Lindy started a podcast, Life with Lindy, to answer the many questions she's been asked about the often neglected yet common and very aggressive disease. "A lot of people reached out to me about their symptoms, embarrassed to talk to others, but they felt comfortable with me." Lindy had no family history or risk factors and was only diagnosed in time by paying attention to her body's signals and advocating for her health. She is on a mission to make sure you do that too! If something isn't right with your body, don't wait, mamas. Take care of YOU.
