Michigan Democrat Rep. Dan Kildee announced on Friday that he was diagnosed with a “serious, but curable” cancer.
Kildee revealed in a Friday statement that he was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma in his tonsil after what he “thought was a preventative scan for a swollen lymph node” with his doctor.
“The results, it turns out, were more significant,” Kildee said.
MICHIGAN DEMOCRAT REP. DAN KILDEE RE-ELECTED TO CONGRESS
“After additional testing, I’ve been diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, a serious but curable form of cancer,” the Democrat congressman wrote. “Thankfully, I caught it very early. With early detection and great doctors, they found a very small tumor in one of my tonsils.”
“It’s never easy to hear the words you have cancer,” Killdee continued. “But I know that so many other families have gone through a cancer diagnosis.”
Kildee said he will be undergoing surgery “to remove the cancer” in the coming weeks and that the “prognosis after surgery and treatment is excellent.”
The Michigan Democrat said his doctors advised him his surgery recovery will “take a few weeks” and that he is “eager to have this chapter behind” him and “get back to work.”
“But in the meantime, I’ll be away from the office for a period of time,” Kildee wrote. “My congressional office will remain open to serve the people of Michigan’s Eighth Congressional District.”
“I am going to get through this. I’m going to beat cancer,” he continued. “I appreciate the love of my family and wife Jennifer, as well as the help of my extraordinary staff.”
“And to my constituents and my colleagues in Congress, thank you for your continued support,” he added.
Kildee also released a video online talking about his diagnosis.
Democrat Rep. Haley Stevens of Michigan tweeted out her support of Kildee amid his cancer diagnosis.
“Praying for my friend and colleague from Michigan. Dan is a fighter – I have no doubt he will beat cancer,” Stevens wrote.
“We are all standing with him and his family during this difficult time,” she added.
Squamous cell carcinoma can take many forms and is a common form of skin cancer that is curable if caught early, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation, but can also occur “in places like the mouth, throat or lungs.”