By Adam Pagnucco.
Last December, Congressman Jamie Raskin announced that he had been diagnosed with Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma, a form of cancer, and that he would be receiving chemotherapy treatment. Today, he announced that he has tested negative “for any discernible cancer cells” and has “a preliminary diagnosis of being ‘in remission’ from diffuse large B-cell lymphoma with a 90% prognosis of no relapse.”
We reprint his press release below.
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An Open Letter From Jamie Raskin After the Successful Completion of His Chemo-immunotherapy Treatment
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 27, 2023
WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Jamie Raskin (MD-08) today sent the following open letter on the completion of his chemo-immunotherapy treatments at Med Star Georgetown University Hospital and the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center for diffuse large B-cell Lymphoma.
Dear America:
Having now finished chemotherapy and rung the bell with my nurses and doctors, having a midterm PET scan report showing “negative” for any discernible cancer cells, and having a preliminary diagnosis of being “in remission” from diffuse large B-cell lymphoma with a 90% prognosis of no relapse, I am overwhelmed with gratitude and love.
I feel love and gratitude not just for my family, my friends, my constituents and my colleagues but for the many thousands of people—both Marylanders and those of you living much further away—who have reached out to me over the last five months with expressions of prayer, best wishes, concern, solidarity, sympathy and moral encouragement—not to mention beautiful gifts of bandanas, homemade scarves and sweaters, Capitol Police baseball caps, hospital scrubs, wool hats, chocolate chip cookies, mandel bread, pea soup, vegan matzoh ball soup, and gorgeous paintings, poems and letters that I will treasure forever.
I have many things that I want to say to the people across America who have stood by me and helped carry me through this prolonged challenge, and I will come to say them soon. Right now my hemoglobin and white blood cell counts are plunging from my final five-day round of chemotherapy, and I am afraid I lack the energy to properly thank you all and express the enormity of my feelings about the enduring beauty and promise of our country. So another message will be coming soon to you all when I rebound from my still-exhausted and immuno-compromised condition.
In the meantime, I just want to send you my profound appreciation.
With love and thanks,
Jamie Raskin