WASHINGTON — Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is battling pancreatic cancer, his family said in a statement today.
Reid underwent surgery at Johns Hopkins Cancer Center to remove a tumor that doctors caught early “during a routine screening and his surgeons are confident that the surgery was a success and that the prognosis for his recovery is good.”
“He will undergo chemotherapy as the next step in his treatment,” the statement continued. “He is now out of surgery, in good spirits and resting with his family. He is grateful to his highly skilled team of doctors and to all who have sent and continue to send their love and support.”
Tweeted Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who is battling brain cancer, “From one cantankerous senator to another, sending my prayers & best wishes to @SenatorReid as he recovers from a successful surgery.”
House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) tweeted, “Harry Reid has never been one to shy from a fight, and this is surely no different. My thoughts are with Harry and his family today.”
Reid retired as minority leader at the end of the 114th Congress. The 78-year-old Searchlight, Nev., native and former amateur boxer has five children.
He was wounded in an accident with home exercise equipment on New Year’s Day 2015 and suffered problems with his right eye afterward.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said, “Harry, let me say, we’re all in your corner and we wish you the very best in this fight.”
On the Senate floor, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said he had spoken with Reid’s family. “The doctors say pancreatic cancer is not a great thing, but given that the operation couldn’t have gone much better, we are all praying for Harry’s speedy recovery,” he said. “Harry is a fighter – literally and figuratively – I know he is going to approach his recovery with the same energy and tenacity and resolve that defined his public life.”
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