Thomas-Laury started at WPVI-TV in Philadelphia on February 20, 1978, as noon co-anchor and reporter, beating out Oprah Winfrey for the position.
According to a WPVI special report from November, 2005, Lisa finally ended up at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, where she got the right diagnosis: she was suffering from POEMS Syndrome, which can cause nerve damage, organ enlargement, hormonal imbalances, and skin changes.
[citation needed] In May 2004, Jim Gardner announced on the air that Lisa Thomas-Laury would be permanently leaving her anchor duties (but not leaving WPVI altogether, as Gardner said that the door would be open for her to return when her health permitted) in order to have more time to focus on her recovery.
[citation needed] During WPVI's 11:00 p.m. newscast on November 22, 2006, Thomas-Laury made a guest appearance and announced that she would return to the station in the next few weeks.
She returned to Action News on January 2, 2007, with a report on the opening of Oprah Winfrey's school for girls in South Africa.