Democratic congressman announces he has ‘serious but curable form of cancer’

By Clare Foran, CNN

Democratic Rep. Dan Kildee of Michigan announced in a statement on Friday that he has been “diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, a serious but curable form of cancer.”

The congressman said a “very small tumor” was found in one of his tonsils and he will undergo surgery “to remove the cancer” in a few weeks. Doctors have outlined a timeframe of a few weeks for recovery from surgery, the statement said.

“The prognosis after surgery and treatment is excellent,” Kildee said. “I am going to get through this. I’m going to beat cancer.”

“It’s never easy to hear the words you have cancer. But I know that so many other families have gone through a cancer diagnosis,” he said.

Kildee went on to say, “I’m eager to have this chapter behind me and get back to work. But in the meantime, I’ll be away from the office for a period of time. My congressional office will remain open to serve the people of Michigan’s Eighth Congressional District.”

The congressman said that a few weeks ago he scheduled what he thought would be a “preventative scan for a swollen lymph node.” Following additional testing, however, he received his diagnosis. “Thankfully, I caught it very early,” he said.

This story is breaking and has been updated with additional information.

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