Ben Sasse Cancer Diagnosis: Senator Reveals Terminal Pancreatic Cancer
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Ben Sasse Announces Stage Four Pancreatic Cancer Diagnosis
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Former Republican senator Ben Sasse revealed he has been diagnosed with terminal stage four pancreatic cancer on Tuesday, December 12, 2023.
Last updated December 24, 2023, at 03:55:14 PST.
Diagnosis and Statement
Ben Sasse, 51, publicly disclosed his diagnosis in a statement released on Tuesday, December 12, 2023. He described the news as difficult, particularly as a husband and father to three children. Sasse framed his situation within the context of the Advent season, a time of Christian reflection and hope.
“This is hard for someone wired to work and build, but harder still as a husband and a dad,” Sasse said in his statement. He continued, “There’s not a good time to tell your peeps you’re now marching to the beat of a faster drummer – but the season of advent isn’t the worst.As a Christian, the weeks running up to Christmas are a time to orient our hearts toward the hope of what’s to come.”
Pancreatic Cancer Statistics
pancreatic cancer is a particularly aggressive form of cancer with a low survival rate.According to the American Cancer Society, more than 67,000 Americans are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer annually, and approximately 51,000 die from the disease each year. Stage four pancreatic cancer, the stage Sasse has been diagnosed with, indicates the cancer has metastasized to distant organs.
| Statistic | Value (2023 Estimate) |
|---|---|
| New Cases | 67,000+ |
| Deaths | 51,000+ |
| 5-Year relative Survival Rate (Stage IV) | ~3% |
Source: American Cancer Society
Ben Sasse’s Career
Ben Sasse served as a U.S. Senator representing Nebraska from 2015 to 2023. Prior to his time in the Senate, he served as the President of Midland University in Fremont, Nebraska. He resigned from the Senate in december 2022 to except the presidency of the University of Florida. He began his role at the University of Florida in July 2023.
Sasse has been known for his conservative political views and his willingness to challenge both parties. He frequently enough expressed concerns about the direction of American politics and the state of civic discourse. in a 2017 interview with the New York Times, Sasse described his view of America as a nation with a fading sense of shared purpose, stating, “The idea of America long ago, and it is naive to think it could be recovered.”