Sen. Mazie Hirono announced Tuesday she has been diagnosed with kidney cancer and will undergo surgery.
“I will continue working during my recovery, and look forward to returning to the Senate as soon as possible,” the Hawaii Democrat said in a statement, which she later shared on Twitter. “I face this fight with the same determination I’ve fought for the people of Hawaii. And I never quit, especially when things get tough.”
Hirono, who has served as a US senator since 2013, said her doctor discovered an abnormality on a chest X-ray, and after a series of tests determined it was kidney cancer, which is also present in her seventh rib.
She will be treated at Medstar Georgetown University Hospital by a kidney cancer specialist.
“He has designed a comprehensive treatment plan — including surgery to remove my right kidney and an innovative, non-invasive, outpatient procedure called Cyberknife to eradicate the lesion on my rib,” Hirono said. “At the conclusion of this treatment, there will be no identifiable disease left untreated. My doctor expects I will make a full recovery from these treatments.”
After issuing the statement, the senator received an outpouring of supportive and encouraging messages from fellow lawmakers and constituents on Twitter.
“Wishing my friend from Hawaii @maziehirono strength in the fight against cancer,” Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Nebraska, tweeted. “Mazie, you will win this battle through grit and grace.”
Last year, former Rep. Mark Takai, a Hawaii Democrat, died after a battle with pancreatic cancer.