Leroy Sievers, the journalist who worked at ABC News’ “Nightline” for 14 years and at CBS News for 10 years, died of colon cancer Friday at his home in Maryland.  He was 53. The National Public Radio announced his death in a statement.

Leroy Sievers was also a National Public Radio commentator and the author of a popular blog describing his battle with cancer. He was diagnosed with the deadly disease in 2001. The disease had spread resulting in a brain tumor and lung cancer. Sievers began writing about this experience in 2001. Since then, he shared his open thoughts about the terrible daily fight with the deadly disease.

“That day” is the day the doctor tells you, ‘You have cancer.’ Every one of us knows someone who’s had to face that news. It’s scary, it’s sad. But it’s still life, and it’s a life worth living. ‘My cancer’ is a daily account of my life and my fight with cancer,” Leroy wrote on his blog.

He endured a series of painful treatments and procedures, including two brain surgeries, three lengthy back surgeries, multiple rounds of chemotherapy, radiation and radiofrequency ablation. After all these painful treatments he recently decided to give up his fight with cancer, saying “My doctors are trying to kill me.”

During the invasion of Iraq, Leroy was an embedded journalist with Ted Koppel. His name as journalist is related to more than a dozen wars, including Desert Storm, Rwanda, Somalia, Kosovo, El Salvador, Nicaragua.

He also produced broadcasts on Hurricane Andrew in Miami and Hurricane Mitch in Honduras, the bombing in Oklahoma City, the siege of the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, and the riots in Los Angeles.

Sievers won 12 national Emmys, two George Foster Peabody Awards, and two Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia University Awards. He volunteered with the Red Cross and traveled to Africa for Human Rights Watch and the International Crisis Group.