Former Sen. Ben Sasse announces he has been diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer
1:23In this Jan. 19, 2022, file photo, Sen. Ben Sasse walks the halls of the Capitol in Washington, D.C.Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/AP, FILE
Former Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse announced on Tuesday that he has been diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer.
"Last week I received a diagnosis of metastasized, stage-four pancreatic cancer, and I am going to die," Sasse, 53, shared in a post on X on Tuesday.
In this Jan. 19, 2022, file photo, Sen. Ben Sasse walks the halls of the Capitol in Washington, D.C.Amanda Andrade-Rhoades/AP, FILE
"Advanced pancreatic cancer is a terrible affliction; it’s essentially a death sentence. However, I was already living with a death sentence before last week — we all are… Death is a cruel thief, and it relentlessly chases us all. Nonetheless, my time is shorter than I wish it were. This is challenging for someone who is inclined to work and create, but even more so as a husband and a father."
Sasse held a position in the U.S. Senate from 2015 to 2023 and was one of seven Republicans who voted to convict President Donald Trump during the president’s second impeachment trial in 2021.
In 2023, Sasse resigned from the Senate to assume the role of president at the University of Florida. He stepped down from that position in mid-2024, stating that he and his family wanted to concentrate on his wife’s health after her epilepsy diagnosis.
Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, which represents the most severe stage, indicates that the cancer has spread to distant organs like the liver or lungs, per the National Cancer Institute.
The typical age for a pancreatic cancer diagnosis in the United States is approximately 70–71 years, with the majority of cases occurring in individuals aged 65 and older, and very few diagnosed before the age of 45, according to the National Cancer Institute.
Pancreatic cancer is frequently identified at a later stage because early pancreatic tumors generally do not produce specific symptoms, and there is no effective routine screening test available. Diagnosis typically occurs after the disease has advanced.
In the United States, about 67,440 individuals are anticipated to be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year, and roughly 51,980 are expected to succumb to the disease, highlighting both its prevalence and severity, as reported by the American Cancer Society.
Sasse commended his family for how they have come together over the past year and expressed appreciation for the additional time spent with them. He noted that the Christmas season seemed like it was not "the worst" moment to disclose a diagnosis.
"As a Christian, the weeks leading up to Christmas are a time to align our hearts with the hope of what lies ahead," he wrote.
Later, Sasse remarked, "I will have more to share. I’m not going down without a struggle. One aspect of God’s grace is found in the astonishing advancements in science that have emerged in recent years in immunotherapy and more. Death and the process of dying are distinct — the experience of dying is still something to embrace."
Sourse: abcnews.go.com