Boyd Huppert takes another leave of absence from KARE 11 to battle cancer

Boyd Huppert, one of the Twin Cities’ most respected journalists, is taking a break from the duties at KARE 11 airwaves to get advanced treatment for blood cancer.

Huppert, who was recently inducted into the Minnesota Broadcasters Hall of Fame and received a lifetime achievement award from the Radio Television Digital News Association, will be getting CAR T-cell therapy, a relatively new process in which a patient’s T cells are altered to recognize and attack cancer.

The 62-year-old broadcaster is scheduled to be infused with the upgraded cells on Aug. 12.

Huppert was first diagnosed with multiple myeloma about three years ago and underwent a bone marrow transplant in 2022. He had been feeling better, but doctors told him this spring that the cancer was on the move again.

“That knocked us down, but we’re used to dusting ourselves off and getting on to the next thing,” Huppert said Tuesday as he prepared for his leave of absence. KARE shared an update with viewers during its 10 p.m. newscast on Thursday.

Huppert expects to spend at least a week in the hospital after the procedure. If all goes well, he hopes to be back contributing to his signature series, “Land of 10,000 Stories,” in six or seven weeks.

Ruben Rosario, a longtime columnist at the St. Paul Pioneer Press, also underwent the CAR T-cell procedure earlier this year. He died last month.

“He was doing really well,” said Huppert, who deepened his friendship with the reporter while they were both battling the disease. “But complications arose when he got home.”

Huppert, who has won nearly 140 regional Emmys, said he’s eager to get back to work as a features reporter and as a teacher, helping to mentor younger broadcasters.

“I don’t feel like I’m ready to retire,” said Huppert, who just signed a new contract with the NBC affiliate.