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I'm not sure how many people have ever heard the name Bill Atanasoff. He was a longtime cameraman for City TV's newsroom, both in the CityPulse and CityNews days. His colleagues all say he was one of the best in the business.
Until one horrible night in 2010, when Atanasoff was shooting footage at the scene of an accident and tragically wound up becoming the story himself. A drunk driver raced through a police barrier and hit Bill almost head on, leaving him severely injured. He lost his sight and one of his legs and has been a paraplegic for the last 15 years. After that terrible evening his life, as you can imagine, has never been the same.
In the show recently posted to Mike's site, Peter Gross tells the story of Bill and his impossible road to recovery, featuring friends of the ailing former cameraman, including ex-City on air colleagues Jim McKenny, John Whaley and Lorne Honickman. And we also hear from Bill himself.
It is a remarkable 90 minute-plus podcast and if you knew Bill (we crossed paths several times over the years) or know those who call him a friend, it's a very compelling show.
You can access it on his site, but perhaps the easiest place to hear it is on the YouTube video below.
Hang in there, Bill. As this show proves, you have not been forgotten.
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What a horrible thing to have happen. And here I think I have mobility issues with arthritis flaring up in both knees.