“The pain in my head became worse than the pain in my gut.” When she switched doctors a few years after her diagnosis she learned Crohn’s is a biological disease—not an emotional one. But that stress, much like any dietary habits, doesn’t trigger flare-ups. “This is part of me, but it doesn’t define me. A native of Maine, McFadden graduated Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude from Bowdoin College. Cynthia McFadden's full report on one adopted woman's search to find her biological mother airs on "Nightline" on Thursday, July 17, 2008, at 11:35 p.m. “She was very tough on me, like she was on everyone in her life whom she cared about.” Hepburn’s expectation that everyone do their best-every day- and her belief that no task was too big or too small were significant in McFadden’s willingness to not let Crohn’s keep her in the house, close to a bathroom.“Of all the things I got from her, one memorable example was her ability to laugh at herself and laugh at life. Cynthia is a feminine given name of Greek origin: Κυνθία, Kynthía, "from Mount Cynthus" on Delos island. In McFadden’s case, only part of her bowel was removed. For ABC's Millennium coverage she reported from Cuba and was part of the team which was awarded the 1999-2000 Emmy. She worked like an anchor and correspondent for the ABC News while she co-anchored the Nightline sometime and afterwards, she appeared at the ABC News Special for Primetime. Her investigation into horrific human rights abuses in several Mexican mental hospitals led to a major overhaul of that government's institutions for the mentally ill. One of those friends was the late, legendary actress, Katharine Hepburn.Throughout college, McFadden’s doctors tried to manage her illness with “massive doses” of cortisone, a form of steroid that’s given to treat inflammation of the bowel. Much of McFadden's work has focused on children. For nearly 2 decades, award-winning journalist, 54-year-old Cynthia McFadden has probed the hearts and minds of some of the biggest influences on our culture.
“I don’t want anyone else to experience the psychological torment I felt thinking I was responsible for my condition.”As her pain increased and her dashes to the bathroom became more frequent, McFadden stopped hiding her illness. Cynthia McFadden is a television journalist of American citizenship. “I’m a person first, then a patient.
She received her law degree from Columbia University. Cynthia McFadden was born on May 27, 1956, in Lewiston, Maine and is currently of age 62. “After my surgery,” she recalls, “I decided there’s no room in my life for anyone who’s going to judge me harshly because I have to go to the bathroom, sometimes with very little notice, and sometimes with ugly things happening as a result.” Which means she also doesn’t judge herself.
Today, Crohn’s is managed more by medications than surgery. Before coming to ABC News, McFadden was an anchor and senior producer at the Courtroom Television Network, beginning with the network's inception in 1991. In 2012, McFadden landed several high-profile interviews that included author J.K. Rowling, award-winning recording artist Taylor Swift and First Lady Michelle Obama. Simpson to Martha Stewart, Kobe Bryant, Elizabeth Smart, Laci Peterson and Michael Jackson. That being a “Type A” personality caused my illness,” McFadden shares. In January of 1999, she anchored the award-winning ABC News special, "Target America: The Terrorist War," in which she reported on the African Embassy bombings.
Prior to assuming co-anchor duties at "Nightline," McFadden occasionally sat in for Ted Koppel and reported for the broadcast, including two exclusive reports on the U.S. government's efforts to secure loose nuclear materials both domestically and abroad.