Civil Rights leader John Lewis announced he has been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, per a press release by his office Sunday.
The congressman received the news after a standard doctor’s visit and where followup testing reconfirmed the prognosis. Lewis,79, will go through treatment to combat cancer.
Regarded as a fighter for justice going back to his days of championing for the rights of blacks beside Martin Luther King Jr., Lewis, who has served as U.S. Representative for Georgia since 1987, is bracing himself for his personal battle ahead.
“I have been in some kind of fight – freedom, equality, basic human rights – for nearly my entire life. I have never faced a fight quite like the one I have now,” says Lewis, whose skull was cracked by white police officers as he led a march over the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama in 1965, and what would be known as “Bloody Sunday”
He added, “While I am clear-eyed about the prognosis, doctors have told me that recent medical advances have made this type of cancer treatable in many cases, that treatment options are no longer as debilitating as they once were, and that I have a fighting chance.”
“So I have decided to do what I know to do and do what I have always done: I am going to fight it and keep fighting for the Beloved Community. We still have many bridges to cross.”
Upon hearing the news, Lewis received well wishes from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who tweeted, “we are all praying for you following this diagnosis.”
Former President Barack Obama shared, “If there’s one thing I love about (Rep. John Lewis), it’s his incomparable will to fight. I know he’s got a lot more of that left in him. Praying for you, my friend.”
And former President Bill Clinton tweeted, “If there’s anyone with the strength and courage to fight this, it’s you, John. Hillary and I love you, and we join with millions of other Americans in praying for you and your family.”
Lewis, who accounts for having been arrested over 40 times as a result of his activism, during the civil rights movement plans to be back at work soon.
“I may miss a few votes during this period, but with God’s grace I will be back on the front lines soon. Please keep me in your prayers as I begin this journey.”
Well wishes for Rep. John Lewis during his time.
By BSM Team
Feature photo: Jeremy Moorehead
