Rep Mark DeSaulnier Diagnosed With Lymphocytic Leukemia, Seeks Re-Election

Congressman Mark DeSaulnier announced on May 5 that last summer, he was diagnosed with the most common leukemia in the word, lymphocytic leukemia and that he recently completed aggressive chemotherapy.

He says he had a positive response to the treatment and that neither CLL nor the treatment impacted his professional work. He was able to go home every weekend logging 170,000 miles flown, held 14 town halls. He met with thousands of constituents and maintained a 99.1% voting average in his first session of Congress.

DeSaulnier says he is running for election and looks forward to continuing to serve the people of the District. He says he is now stronger with a better understanding having faced this experience.

“Before sharing my diagnosis, I had much to consider personally and professionally,” says DeSaulnier. “My doctors assured me that people with Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), myself included, could continue to work and function at a high level. The medical professionals were right; I have been able to go home every weekend, except one, logging over 170,000 miles flown, held 14 town halls, had meetings with thousands of constituents, and maintained a 99.1% voting average in my first session of Congress.”

He says going through this health matter, he has learned a lot.

“When confronting mortality, you gain a sharper focus on what is important, and what is not,” says DeSaulnier. “Having gone through this experience, I am more empathetic and determined to focus on concrete steps to finding solutions for cancer and other chronic conditions. I would like to find ways to incentivize clearer doctor-patient communication, improve funding for research, and remove financial barriers to receiving proper treatment and medications.”

DeSaulnier says he received his chemotherapy at the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center for two days every four to six weeks, had blood work done weekly and met with an oncologist every few weeks.

“During treatment, I wanted to be sensitive to the privacy and personal experiences of the patients around me. I appreciate all of the people who are now sharing their personal stories with me. I am in the process of speaking with researchers, authors, and organizations, like the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, working to fight cancer,” explained DeSaulnier.

Desaulnier, who has been an advocate for improving healthcare access to all, says he will now add his voice to people fighting cancer and other chronic conditions.

“By publicly sharing my story, I hope to add my voice to the growing number of people fighting cancer and the other chronic conditions so many families confront. Before the Affordable Care Act, this diagnosis could have caused a person without insurance to go bankrupt trying to save their own life, but we still need to do more to reduce the cost of treatment and increase research and development,” said DeSaulnier.

DeSaulnier further highlighted that cancer is no longer a death sentence and says if we invest just a little more in research, he believes we will see exponential change in results.

“Five years ago, the treatment of CLL was dramatically different than it is today. Five years from today, if we invest properly, I believe we might find a cure,” says DeSaulnier.

Here is his official statement from Wednesday:

“Last summer, I was diagnosed with the most common leukemia in the world, a cancer named Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). I recently completed aggressive chemotherapy. I feel fortunate that I had a positive response to this treatment, and that neither CLL nor the treatment impacted my professional work.

CLL is a chronic disorder many Americans face, which doctors liken to diabetes and hypertension. While CLL cannot currently be completely cured, incredible breakthroughs, medical advancements and cutting edge therapies are allowing it to be managed over a lifetime.  As a result of these developments, there are approximately 1.2 million Americans, like myself, living long, full lives with blood cancer.

Before sharing my diagnosis, I had much to consider personally and professionally. My doctors assured me that people with CLL, myself included, could continue to work and function at a high level. The medical professionals were right; I have been able to go home every weekend, except one, logging over 170,000 miles flown, held 14 town halls, had meetings with thousands of constituents, and maintained a 99.1% voting average in my first session of Congress.

By publicly sharing my story, I hope to add my voice to the growing number of people fighting cancer and the other chronic conditions so many families confront. I look forward to continuing to serve the people of our district, and do so stronger and with a better understanding having faced this experience.”