Rep. Jamie Raskin announced Wednesday that he has been diagnosed with Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma, a form of cancer.
According to a news release, Raskin had been undergoing several days of testing before the diagnosis. He said he planned to work through it, and remained optimistic, as lymphoma is treatable. Raskin represents the eighth congressional district in Maryland, which covers roughly the southern half of Montgomery County.
“I am about to embark on a course of chemo-immunotherapy on an outpatient basis at Med Star Georgetown University Hospital and Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center,” Raskin said in a prepared statement. “Prognosis for most people in my situation is excellent after four months of treatment.”
Raskin, who lives in Takoma Park, has gained national exposure for multiple reasons in recent years. First, his son Tommy died by suicide in Dec. 2020, after a long battle with depression.
Weeks later, Raskin was lead impeachment manager for the House during the second impeachment trial of former president Donald Trump, relating to the events of Jan. 6, 2021. Recently, he was elected Ranking Member of the House Oversight Committee for the 118th Congress, which begins Jan. 3, 2023.
Raskin said he plans to avoid unnecessary exposure to avoid COVID-19 and other severe illnesses. He will undergo chemotherapy during the upcoming months, he said. But he still had a sense of humor despite the news, saying in his statement: “In addition to destroying cancer cells, chemotherapy impairs natural antibodies and undermines the body’s immune system. I am advised that it also causes hair loss and weight gain (although I am still holding out hope for the kind that causes hair gain and weight loss).”
“With the benefit of early detection and fine doctors, the help of my extraordinary staff, the love of Sarah and our daughters and sons-in-law (actual and to-be) and family and friends, and the support of my beloved constituents and my colleagues in the House, I plan to get through this and, in the meantime, to keep making progress every day in Congress for American democracy,” he added.