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Congressman Jamie Raskin, who represents the 8th District from the border of northern Washington, DC to the Pennsylvania suburbs in the north, announced on Wednesday, Dec. 28 that after several days of testing, he has been diagnosed with Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma.
The 8th Congressional District includes parts of Montgomery, Carroll, and Frederick counties.
The lawmaker called it “a serious, but curable form of cancer.”
“I am about to embark on a course of chemo-immunotherapy on an outpatient basis at Med Star Georgetown University Hospital and Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center,” Raskin said. "Prognosis for most people in my situation is excellent after four months of treatment."
Despite the diagnosis, Raskin says that he plans to continue working for the people of Maryland, though he has been advised to avoid “unnecessary exposure to avoid COVID-19, the flu and other viruses” while keeping a positive outlook on the matter.
“In addition to destroying cancer cells, chemotherapy impairs natural antibodies and undermines the body’s immune system,” he announced. “I am advised that it also causes hair loss and weight gain (although I am still holding out hope for the kind that causes hair gain and weight loss).”
Raskin said that he plans to fight the cancer and continue to “make progress every day in Congress for American democracy.”
“With the benefit of early detection and fine doctors, the help of my extraordinary staff, the love of Sarah and our daughters and sons-in-law (actual and to-be) and family and friends, and the support of my beloved constituents and my colleagues in the House, I plan to get through this and, in the meantime, to keep making progress every day in Congress for American democracy,” he stated.
“My love and solidarity go out to other families managing cancer or any other health condition in this holiday season—and all the doctors, nurses, and medical personnel who provide us comfort and hope.”
Support has poured in for Raskin since his announcement, including from Gov. Elect-Wes Moore and his running mate Aruna Miller.
Raskin is in his third consecutive term in Congress. He was previously a multi-term state senator in Maryland, where he served as the Senate Majority Whip and a professor of constitutional law at American University’s Washington College of Law.
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