… respond well to treatment as younger ones, though life expectancy among older people with stage 4 pancreatic cancer is shorter. This is especially true if a person’s health is further complicated by other conditions, like diabetes and high blood pressure.
“While I am clear-eyed about the prognosis, doctors have told me that recent medical advances have made this type of caner treatable in many cases, that treatment options are no longer as debilitating as they once were, and that I have a fighting chance,” he added
Friends and colleagues of Lewis offered their support.
“If there’s one thing I love about @RepJohnLewis, it’s his incomparable will to fight,” tweeted former President Barack Obama. “I know he’s got a lot more of that left in him. Praying for you, my friend.”
“If there’s anyone with the strength and courage to fight this, it’s you John,” former President Bill Clinton tweeted. “Hillary and I love you, and we join with millions of other Americans in praying for you and your family.”
Lewis said he will return to Washington in the coming days to resume work and begin his treatment plan, “which will occur over the next several weeks.”