Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced Monday that he has been diagnosed with cancer of the lymph nodes.
During his surprising Monday announcement, the GOP governor told attendees that he was recently diagnosed with an “aggressive” form of B-cell non-Hodgkins lymphoma.
“I called this press conference today to talk about a new challenge that I will be faced with,” Hogan said. “A few days ago, I was diagnosed with cancer. It’s an aggressive, B-cell non-Hodgkins lymphoma, to be specific. It’s a cancer of the lymph nodes.”
Hogan went on to say the cancer is “very advanced” and “very aggressive,” adding that he is going to face his diagnosis “with the same kind of energy and determination” that helped him overcome obstacles he’s faced thus far in life.
Although the cancer is very “aggressive” and “spread very rapidly,” Hogan said the cancer responds pretty well to chemotherapy, which he will be undergoing in the near future.
“There’s a very strong chance of success,” Hogan said. “Not only a strong chance of survival, but a strong chance of beating it altogether and getting rid of the cancer.”
Despite the news, Hogan, however, couldn’t help but find but something to laugh about as he talked about his chances of overcoming his next challenge.
“The best news is that my odds of beating this are much much better than the odds I had of beating Anthony Brown,” Hogan said to laughter. The governor also added that he has a better chance of beating cancer than being named “Marylander of the Year” by The Baltimore Sun.
Hogan beat Brown in one of the biggest upsets of the 2014 midterm elections, knocking off the Democrat who served as former Gov. Martin O’Malley’s lieutenant governor.
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