Senate Majority Leader David McBride (D-Hawks Nest), one of the longest-serving members of the General Assembly, announced Thursday that he has colorectal cancer.
McBride made the announcement in a three-page letter to elected officials, staff and the media, saying he will continue working while receiving treatment.
Read Sen. David McBride's full letter here.
A senate official says McBride had surgery to remove a tumor just before Thanksgiving. He'll undergo chemotherapy, quote-“out of an abundance of caution.”
In his letter, McBride says the pain “has been beyond description” and that coming to terms with the disease “plunged me into some real despair.”
But he adds, “I’ve really turned the corner over the last several days, and it’s because of the outpouring of love and support I’ve received from so many.”
Officials declined to say how far McBride's cancer had progressed before doctors found it during a routine screening.
But they say McBride will continue to seek reelection next year. He was first elected to the House in 1978 and has held his seat in the Senate since 1980.