US Representative Jamie Raskin, of Maryland, announced on Wednesday that he has been diagnosed with cancer.
US Representative Jamie Raskin, of Maryland, announced on Wednesday that he has been diagnosed with cancer.
“After several days of tests, I was diagnosed with Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma, which is a serious but curable form of cancer,” Raskin said in a statement Wednesday.
Diffuse B-cell lymphoma is the most common type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in the United States and worldwide, according to the Lymphoma Research Foundation. More than 18,000 people are diagnosed with the disease each year.
Raskin will undergo chemotherapy on an outpatient basis at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, and he said he plans to work through this period.
His doctors warned him to reduce exposure to avoid contracting COVID-19, the flu and other viruses, the statement said.
On his chemotherapy, Raskin said, “I’m advised that it also causes hair loss and weight gain (although I still have hope for the type that causes hair growth and weight loss).
“With the benefit of early detection and gentle doctors, with the help of my extraordinary team, the love of Sarah and our daughters and sons (actual and our sons) and family and friends, and the support of my beloved family. and my colleagues in the House, I plan to get through this and, in the meantime, continue to make progress every day in Congress for American democracy,” Raskin said.
When his diagnosis was announced, lawmakers and public figures sent their best wishes to the conference.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, who fought cancer, that’s it relieved to hear Raskin and his doctors are optimistic about his prognosis.
Maryland Gov.-elect Wes Moore he offered his comments, as well, saying that Raskin “embodies what it means to keep going in the face of enormous challenges.”
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer called Raskin a “dear friend and partner in Congress.”
“He is a fighter for Marylanders and our Democracy, and I know he will fight his diagnosis just as strongly. I wish him a speedy recovery and stand by him and his family during this time,” Hoyer said.
Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen echoed Hoyer’s description, wishing Raskin a speedy full recovery.
“We have seen Jamie fight for our County, our state, and even the soul of our nation. Now as he prepares to fight cancer again, we send him and his family the love, support and hope they have always given us,” said Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrichrepresented by the Raskin district.
Even the actor Leslie Odom Jr. he sent his tribute in a tweet, saying he was grateful for Raskin’s “work and example of integrity”.
The news of Raskin’s latest diagnosis comes nearly two years after his 25-year-old son, Tommy, died by suicide on December 31, 2020.
Raskin was previously diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2010. He told the American Association for Cancer Research that the experience was a “hard-hitting political epiphany” that made him “passionate about supporting legislation that increases access to health care and promotes investment in biomedical research. and health innovation.”
“Being diagnosed with an illness is unfortunate. Not having health insurance is an injustice to do something about,” Raskin said in a speech on the House floor in 2017regarding the funding of medical research by the National Institutes of Health.
In 2019, he called for Medicare for All, recalling his cancer experience in a speech before a Congressional committee meeting, Maryland Matters reported.
Raskin, who was a key manager in the second impeachment of former president Donald Trump, is to be sworn in for a fourth term next month. Currently, he is a member of the House committee investigating the siege. That panel released its final report last week and is set to disband when the new Republican-led House is sworn in on Jan. 3, The Associated Press reported.
He will be the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Reform Committee in the next Congress.
