Janice Dean is in the fight of her life. The longtime Fox News meteorologist revealed on Monday, November 9th, that she is battling a frightening new illness on top of the multiple sclerosis she has fought for more than two decades. “I’ve been taking a bit of a break from social media because I was diagnosed with viral meningitis,” Dean, 56, wrote. “I’ve never been this sick before and it could take months to recover.”
The announcement came in an emotional Instagram post. Dean spent more than 20 years as the meteorologist on Fox & Friends, becoming a fixture of the network’s morning lineup, before stepping away from the program in July as her MS symptoms worsened. She was first diagnosed with the disease in 2005.
The meningitis diagnosis follows a brutal stretch that began in October, when Dean repeatedly sought hospital care after developing severe physical symptoms. She detailed the ordeal in a post on Substack. “It started with achy painful legs and feet, exhaustion and an overall feeling of being unwell,” Dean wrote. “My kids had little colds that they quickly got over, and perhaps I caught what they had, but as someone who lives with an auto-immune disease, a little bug can turn into a monster.”
“Every time I get sick I always worry that my MS will get worse,” she added. Viral meningitis causes inflammation of the protective membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord, and as the Cleveland Clinic explains, symptoms can include severe headaches, fever, neck stiffness, nausea, vomiting and sensitivity to light. As Trending Politics reported, many people recover without lasting complications, though some cases become serious enough to require hospitalization.
Dean still found room for gratitude in the announcement, thanking the people who have rallied around her during the ordeal. “Grateful to all the doctors, nurses, teachers (at my kid’s school), neighbors who have helped out, friends who have checked in and my family for taking good care of me. And all of you who prayed for me, it’s helping,” she wrote. “Love to you all.”
The new diagnosis lands just months after Dean announced in July that she was leaving Fox & Friends, a decision that followed increasing difficulties managing her symptoms, including sleep disruptions, fatigue and stress. “Ultimately, my symptoms progressed to the point that I can no longer continue working in my role,” she said at the time. “My doctors agreed that stepping away was necessary for my health.”
Watch Dean bid an emotional farewell to Fox & Friends here:
"*" indicates required fields
Dean was just as direct about what the disease does to the body. “For those living with MS, the war is inside of us. We may look fine, but our immune system is attacking the brain, the spinal cord and sometimes, the optic nerve. We’re left with permanent scars, but ones you can only see on MRI imaging,” she said in her farewell message. She has spoken candidly over the years about the physical and emotional challenges of living with the condition, particularly while maintaining a demanding television career.
MS occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks myelin, the protective coating surrounding nerve fibers in the central nervous system. The resulting damage can interfere with communication between the brain and the body, potentially causing weakness, numbness, vision problems and difficulties with coordination. Dean’s focus now is on recovering from the meningitis and on spending time with her family.
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video.