Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) revealed Wednesday that he’s been diagnosed with cancer and will soon begin treatment.
“After several days of tests, I have been diagnosed with Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma, which is a serious but curable form of cancer,” he said in a statement.
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Raskin, 60, will soon commence an outpatient course of chemo-immunotherapy but expects to be able to work through his treatment.
“Prognosis for most people in my situation is excellent after four months of treatment,” he said. “I expect to be able to work through this period but have been cautioned by my doctors to reduce unnecessary exposure to avoid COVID-19, the flu and other viruses.”
Diffuse large B cell lymphoma is the most common type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a cancer that grows in the lymphatic system. More than 18,000 people are diagnosed with it each year, according to the Lymphoma Research Foundation.
Raskin, who’s served in the House since 2017, joked that his appearance may shift as he undergoes treatment, saying he’s been advised that chemo-immunotherapy “causes hair loss and weight gain (although I am still holding out hope for the kind that causes hair gain and weight loss).”
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Raskin’s news comes about a week after he and his colleagues on the Jan. 6 committee issued their final report.
“It’s a story of some real villainy and some real danger to democracy, but also of real heroism and commitment to American democratic freedom,” he said on CBS’s “Face the Nation” after he and the rest of the committee members recommended charges against former President Donald Trump.
