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Congressman Jamie Raskin, a Democrat from Maryland's 8th District, announced on Wednesday that he has been diagnosed with cancer.
According to a release from his office, the U.S. representative was found to have diffuse large B-cell lymphoma after "several days of tests." Raskin, who recently turned 60, also said it's "a serious but curable form of cancer."
The announcement comes just days before a difficult anniversary for Raskin and his family. In 2020, the congressman's son, Tommy Raskin, died by suicide on New Year's Eve after years of living with mental health issues.
A day after burying his son on January 5, 2021, Raskin returned to work at the U.S. Capitol to help certify the 2020 presidential election. Moments after he gave a speech thanking his House of Representatives colleagues for their support during such a dark time, however, supporters of former President Donald Trump stormed the Capitol building to protest President Joe Biden's victory.
Raskin's next nearly two years in office would be filled with reliving the events of January 6, including leadership of Trump's second impeachment trial in the House. The Democrat also went on to serve on the House January 6 committee, which ultimately referred the former president for criminal charges over his actions in the siege on the Capitol.
Despite the diagnosis this week, Raskin said in his announcement that he intends to continue to serve the state of Maryland, planning "to get through this and, in the meantime, to keep making progress every day in Congress for American democracy."
The Journey Ahead for Raskin
Raskin said on Wednesday that he will soon begin a course of chemo-immunotherapy treatments "on an outpatient basis" with MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center in Washington, D.C. He added that the "prognosis for most people in my situation is excellent after four months of treatment."
According to the Lymphoma Research Foundation, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in the U.S., with over 18,000 new diagnoses each year. The foundation also states that DLBCL is an "aggressive" non-Hodgkin's lymphoma that impacts the white blood cells that make antibodies to stave off infections.
While Raskin said that he plans to be able to work while undergoing treatment, he has also "been cautioned by my doctors to reduce unnecessary exposure to avoid COVID-19, the flu and other viruses."
"In addition to destroying cancer cells, chemotherapy impairs natural antibodies and undermines the body's immune system," read Raskin's release. The representative is keeping his sense of humor in a trying time, adding: "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)."
The lymphoma marks the second round of cancer for Raskin—he was was diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2010.
"My love and solidarity go out to other families managing cancer or any other health condition in this holiday season—and all the doctors, nurses and medical personnel who provide us comfort and hope," he added at the end of Wednesday's release.
The Heartbreak of Losing His Son, Then a New Mission
Raskin has been vulnerable with his constituents about his grieving process after losing his son, Tommy, 25, and a second-year student at Harvard Law School, on Dec. 31, 2020. In an interview with NPR in January, the congressman said that he "wasn't sure whether I was ever going to be able to do anything again."
"I was just repeating over and over, I've lost my son. My life is over. My life is over," Raskin said during the interview. "And that pretty well captures my state of mind at the time."
Rasking has since credited Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi with throwing him a "lifeline" after asking him to become the lead impeachment manager in Trump's trial, as it served as a reminder for Raskin that life could move forward.
"I was forced to galvanize all of my love for Tommy and my daughters, Hannah and Tabitha, and my wife, Sarah, and our family and our country, and to throw myself into the trial to make the case that Donald Trump had incited this violent insurrection and effort to overthrow the 2020 presidential election," Raskin said in the interview.
Still Grieving When a New Day of Infamy Strikes
In addition to grieving the loss of his son, on January 6, 2021, Raskin and his family were ensnared in the tumult after a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol while Congress was certifying the election of Biden.
Raskin's daughter and son-in-law accompanied the representative to work that day to support him. Moments after Raskin delivered a heartfelt speech to his House colleagues thanking them for their backing, the Maryland congressman was separated from his family as members of Congress scrambled to avoid the rioters.
Raskin later shared details of his conversation with his daughter regarding the riot during the opening of Trump's impeachment trial.
"They thought they were gonna die," Raskin said of his daughter, Tabitha, and her husband.
"The reason they came with me was because they wanted to be together with me in the middle of a devastating week for our family," he added during his personal statement in the impeachment trial.
The House ultimately voted to impeach Trump in January 2021, but the decision was overturned by a vote in the Senate.
Newsweek has reached out to Raskin's office for further comment.
About the writer
Kaitlin Lewis is a Newsweek reporter on the Night Team based in Boston, Massachusetts. Her focus is reporting on national ... Read more