I first got sick after I had my daughter, Kimberly, 21 years ago. I'd always been energetic and never had any serious medical problems. Then I got very sick with a high fever. They told me I had mononucleosis. I became pregnant right away with Sean, and after he was born, I never seemed to recover.

Nobody was like, 'Kimberly, we're going to let you anchor general news or host a show or do any of that.' I at first started out doing legal analysis, but I had to make the case to my bosses... give me a shot, give me a chance, and I was able to do that: say, 'Let me fill in. Let me show you my range. Nothing to lose here - it's the holidays.'