NICE Radio sports presenter suffers stroke in studio

Justin Douglas, the sports presenter at NICE Radio, suffered a stroke in the studio Sunday night, becoming the second employee at the station to fall ill on air in a year and the second to suffer a stroke in the studio at the station in a decade.

The station’s manager, Douglas De Freitas told radio listeners on Monday morning about Douglas’ medical situation.

“I’m a little bit off this morning because Justin, my sportsman, had a stroke in the studio last night and it’s very disturbing,” De Freitas said.

“I was in the hospital for a long time last night. He’s okay,” Douglas said on his early morning show, “In Gear”.

“Stroke is not a joke that you play with. So, even when it’s a minor, relatively speaking, it’s still a dangerous thing because you can have a second stroke.

“So, they are treating him. He has a little bit of discomfort in his hand. He said it’s slightly heavy, his left hand and his left leg. But thank God we got him to the hospital on time, within half an hour, as one practitioner said, of that incident.

“So, I trust and hope and pray that he will recover 100% and then he would be able to be very careful how we look after himself,” the broadcaster said, adding that the radio station would make alternative arrangements for its sports news in the interim.

De Freitas said it was “sad … having to look at Justin having to suffer a stroke.

“It is important that we look after ourselves and we take the necessary medication, check our blood pressure often …” he said.

“… but sometimes, we get careless and we don’t look after ourselves and then something like this happens and in the twinkling of an eye your whole life changes upside down and it makes you reflect.

“But I’ve always been disciplined when it comes to taking my medication. But I still have issues. And so, I’m saying to y’all don’t be careless.”

In February 2023, political activist and radio personality, Colin Graham was rushed to hospital after collapsing in the studio while hosting the New Democratic Party’s (NDP) “New Times” programme, on NICE Radio.

Graham returned to the show one week later, saying that his “next zero is going to be 50” and collapsing in the studio was God’s way of telling him “time to take restock“.

In August 2012, Elwardo “EG” Lynch a spokesperson for the NDP suffered a stroke while hosting “New Times”, also on NICE Radio.

His health continued to deteriorate during the years after this and he died on July 9, 2014, aged 70.

And, on Aug. 4, 2020, journalist Jerry S. George, 62, suffered a heart attack and died moments after telling viewers and the co-host of his internet show, “Early in the Morning with Jerry S. George” that he was going to “step out of frame”.