Neena Pacholke gave heartbreaking interview about losing high school sweetheart to cancer years before her tragic death

NEWS anchor Neena Pacholke lost her high school sweetheart to cancer years before her tragic death, it has been revealed.

In 2016, when Neena was a junior at the University of South Florida, she did an interview aimed at learning more about the school’s athletes.

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Neena spoke about her boyfriend, Jordan Alexander Harris, who died after battling a rare form of brain cancer.

“I remember holding his hand, like, as he passed away,” said a tearful Neena in the video, which also featured her parents and coaches at USF.

“I knew it was gonna be hard but I always told him, ‘I’ll be there through it all.’ So I feel like that’s what I had to do.”

One of the ways Neena coped with Jordan’s death was playing basketball, which ultimately landed her at USF.

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She also created a blog where she wrote about Jordan and her feelings following his passing in October 2013.

“He is the main reason behind my blog topic and will continue to be the driving force behind everything that I do in life,” Neena wrote.

“When I am very sad about his passing, I prefer to be alone and sometimes go visit his grave at the cemetery and talk to him as if he is sitting right there next to me.

"Sounds weird to those who can not relate but to those reading who have a loved one in heaven can most definitely relate.”

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Neena also used to blog about non-profits involved in cancer research and her volunteer work at the Children’s Cancer Center.

“I chose to inform my bloggers about this wonderful and loving organizations as it as [sic] helped hundreds and hundreds of families that are truly in need,” she wrote.

TRAGIC DEATH

Neena died at the age of 27 on August 27, just six weeks before she was supposed to get married.

At the time of her death, Neena was an anchor for WAOW, an ABC affiliate in Wausau, Wisconsin.

Her younger sister, Kaitlynn Pacholke, confirmed that Neena died by suicide.

She told the Tampa Bay Times that Neena was "the happiest person I thought I knew."

“Sometimes you just don’t know what people are going through, no matter how much you think you know someone," Kaitlynn told the outlet.

The morning news anchor was scheduled to be married to divorced father-of-two Kyle Haase, 38, on October 12, Kaitlynn shared with the Times.

The couple lived together but he was not in their apartment at the time of her suicide, according to DailyMail.com.

“She was just like a little ball of sunshine, and her smile was massive," Kaitlynn said.

"And she could just make you feel like you were the most important person, whether she knew you for five minutes or her whole life."

Neena's death comes after she posted about her excitement to be signing a contract at WAOW in April 2021.

"Signed, sealed, & its official, I’m here to stay," she wrote alongside two photos that showed her signing what appears to be a contract at the anchor chair.

She added: "It has been such a joy getting to be a part of this community by starting every weekday morning with you, interacting on social media & meeting you out in public!

"Let’s keep the fun going."

'DEVASTATED'

Neena's death came as a shock to everyone at WAOW Channel 9, leaving her colleagues "absolutely devastated."

"Neena loved this community and the people who lived here. She was a kind person with a big heart and a contagious smile and we will miss her greatly," the station wrote.

"We ask you to please keep her family in your thoughts at this time as we all cope with the loss. If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, please reach out."

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“And she could just make you feel like you were the most important person, whether she knew you for five minutes or her whole life."

Meanwhile, Neena's co-anchor Brendan Mackey shared a tribute on Facebook remembering his late coworker as "the brightest light in the room."

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