Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced on Friday that she had undergone successful surgery to treat thyroid cancer and is now “cancer free.”
“During a check-up earlier this month, my doctor ordered a biopsy on an area of concern in my neck and the test revealed that I had thyroid cancer. Today, I underwent a successful surgery to remove my thyroid and surrounding lymph nodes and by the grace of God I am now cancer-free,” said Sanders in a statement. “I want to thank the Arkansas doctors and nurses for their world-class care, as well as my family and friends for their love, prayers, and support.”
Sanders, who is the Republican gubernatorial nominee in Arkansas, added, “I look forward to returning to the campaign trail soon. This experience has been a reminder that whatever battle you may be facing, don’t lose heart. As governor, I will never quit fighting for the people of our great state.” She is favored to beat Democrat candidate Chris Jones in November.
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John R. Sims, M.D, the surgeon who treated Sanders, stated that “Sarah is currently recovering from surgery in which we removed her thyroid gland and some of the surrounding lymph nodes in her neck. The surgery went extremely well, and I expect her to be back on her feet even within the next 24 hours.” The surgery was performed at CARTI Cancer Center in Little Rock, Ark.
Sims elaborated that Sanders had been treated for “Stage I papillary thyroid carcinoma which is the most common type of thyroid cancer and has an excellent prognosis. While she will need adjuvant treatment with radioactive iodine, as well as continued long term follow up, I think it’s fair to say she’s now cancer free, and I don’t anticipate any of this slowing her down.”
Indeed, at age 40, Sanders is already an extremely accomplished, high-profile Republican. She was a senior adviser to Donald Trump’s successful 2016 presidential campaign. After Trump was sworn in, she served as deputy press secretary under Sean Spicer before succeeding him as press secretary in July 2017. Her strong, no-nonsense attitude, quick wit, and solid grasp of the issues made Sanders a favorite of conservative politics fans. After two and a half years, she left the White House to become a contributor at Fox news. Sanders entered the race for the Arkansas governor’s seat in January of 2021 and was promptly endorsed by her old boss, former President Trump.
Sanders is the daughter of former Ark. Gov. Mike Huckabee and spent her teenage years in the governor’s mansion. “If she defeats Democrat Chris Jones in November, Sanders would be the first daughter in US history to serve as governor of the same state her father once led as well as the first female governor of Arkansas,” notes CNN.
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