For 20 years, Tom Brokaw brought the nation’s news on NBC Nightly News, but in 2021, after a painfully long career spanning 55 years, the veteran anchor decided to retire.

The 83-year-old sat down with Jane Pauley from CBS, a longtime friend and former co-host of Today, to talk about his decision to leave NBC News after nearly 60 years in the industry.

In 1966, Brokaw started working for NBC News, where he held a variety of posts until his retirement in 2021. But he wasn’t looking forward to leaving the network when the time came to do so.

‘I found myself in uncharted territory for the first time in my life, navigating through unfamiliar waters,’ he added.

The journalist claimed that after receiving a diagnosis of multiple myeloma, an incurable but treatable blood cancer, in 2013, his outlook on life changed.

‘I truly had to stop working with NBC every day. You see, they were moving away from me, so I had to do the same.

Simply put, I was a different person. I was therefore kind of out there for the first time in my life, you know, in a location I had never gone before.

After being diagnosed with cancer, Brokaw discovered it was how he handled life’s challenges rather

than whether or not he was immune to them. He described how he previously believed he was immune to life’s challenges.

But as I’ve gotten older, this ailment has shown to be a fact. The important thing is to manage it as best you can.