ALLISON LATOS

The WSOC anchor on her hard trek from one episode of loss and grief to another—and the meaning of resilience

- TAYLOR BOWLER

ALLISON LATOS is an Emmy award-winning journalist who anchors the midday and evening broadcasts for WSOC-TV Eyewitness News. The 36-year-old West Virginia native also does investigative reports on topics like online sex trafficking and the opioid epidemic, and she’s been a passionate supporter of infertility awareness ever since she and her husband, Josh, struggled to conceive their daughter Hope, who was born in 2018.

Last year, when Latos was 34 weeks pregnant with her second child, doctors discovered that the baby had developed a dural arteriovenous fistula, a rare, inoperable connection of a vein and artery in the brain, and determined she wouldn’t survive. Hannah Joy was born May 13, 2020, and lived less than two hours. Just two months later, after a viewer spotted a lump in her neck, Latos discovered she had thyroid cancer. She completed radioactive iodine treatment in September, but in January, a scan revealed the cancer had metastasized and spread to her lungs. A follow-up scan in May showed no growth progression or new spots; there’s no cure, but doctors hope the illness can go into long-term remission.

Today Latos continues to work, exercise, and “live life between scans.” She still runs to raise money for the Bundle of Joy fund to help couples afford fertility treatments, and she savors her time with 3-year-old Hope. She credits Hannah for leading her to the cancer diagnosis—and for reminding her to find joy in the really tough moments. Her words have been edited for space and clarity.