Former Republican Sen. Ben Basse has been diagnosed with stage-four pancreatic cancer, and says he’s “gonna die.” Sasse announced his diagnosis on X Tuesday, calling the diagnosis “nasty stuff. It’s a death sentence.”
“This is a tough note to write, but since a bunch of you have started to suspect something, I’ll cut to the chase: Last week I was diagnosed with metastasized, stage-four pancreatic cancer, and am gonna die,” Sasse, 53, wrote.
He said that the death sentence isn’t new, noting we all have one, but said he has less time than he’d prefer. He also noted that while the prognosis is not good, he’s still pursuing treatment.
“I’m not going down without a fight. One sub-part of God’s grace is found in the jawdropping advances science has made the past few years in immunotherapy and more” Sasse wrote. “We’re zealously embracing a lot of gallows humor in our house, and I’ve pledged to do my part to run through the irreverent tape.”
Who is Ben Sasse?
Sasse served in the U.S. Senate from 2015 to 2023, representing the state of Nebraska. He resigned from Senate to take a job as president of the University of Florida, a role he held until July 2024.
During his time in Congress, Sasse was often critical of President Donald Trump but did align with the administration on some policies. He was one of seven Republicans to vote “guilty” during Trump’s impeachment trial after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.
In his post on X, Sasse noted that he was stepping back from public life and building “new family rhythms.” He shared recent successes in his family and spent time praising his family.
“This is hard for someone wired to work and build, but harder still as a husband and a dad. I can’t begin to describe how great my people are,” Sasse wrote.
Responses flood in
Responses immediately began flooding in on Tuesday after Sasse shared the news. Vice President JD Vance responded, saying, “I’m very sorry to hear this Ben. May God bless you and your family.”
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, also replied, saying, “Thanks for reminding us, Ben, it is how we live, not how long we live that counts.”
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