Gov. Mark Dayton revealed Tuesday that he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, a new personal challenge for a governor who has struggled with health problems throughout his term and is just embarking on his last two years in officeIt's been clear for a long time now that Dayton has multiple health issues. He's had multiple surgeries for leg and back pain and he regularly walks with a cane. He regularly slurs his words when speaking. While he's hardly unique in facing health issues as he enters his seventies (he turns 70 tomorrow), he has a high-stress job and the stress level isn't going to lessen any time soon, as he battles a legislature under Republican control.
Dayton disclosed his diagnosis at a news conference the morning after he collapsed during his State of the State speech, cutting the address short and rattling several hundred state legislators and others gathered in the House chamber. Back in front of the cameras Tuesday morning, Dayton said his early prognosis is good, and that he expects to learn more after a follow-up consultation at Mayo Clinic next week to discuss treatment options.
“I don’t expect it to, within a very short period of time, impede my performance of my responsibilities,” Dayton said. “We’ll know more next week.”
He wants to continue. I don't think he should.
4 comments:
Agreed he's not coming clean yet, but it strikes me that Roosevelt did pretty good from a wheelchair. So while the fact that he's not being open about what ails him is a bad sign in this regard, I'm willing to cut him some slack and let him produce evidence that what ails him will not debilitate him at critical times.
I've had prostate cancer. It's not a particularly painful or debilitating disease early on; in fact many don't even realize they have it. Once you know you have it, though, it tends to take up a lot of your attention. Every potential treatment has its good points, but also plenty of bad ones. My father also had it, and he went the radiation treatment route. It is not too debilitating, but it leaves you tired. I went the micro-robotic surgery route which greatly minimizes the ongoing lifestyle impact, but you do have several weeks worth of intensive medical care and therapy that is quite a distraction.
In my case, one of the specialists I saw said that because I was so young(!), all options were available to me. He said that in the case of older patients, aging and co-morbidities often limit what can be done. Given Dayton's age and obvious, if unknown, co-morbidities he could have quite a fight on his hands. Even at my age, one fight at a time was all I wanted. I didn't also have to contend with Republican majorities in the legislature.
So while the fact that he's not being open about what ails him is a bad sign in this regard, I'm willing to cut him some slack and let him produce evidence that what ails him will not debilitate him at critical times.
I'd say fainting while you are giving the State of the State address suggests debilitation.
Agreed, and if he and the DFL know he's really debilitated but do not come clean about it, that is something to remember come next election. "DFL endangers Minnesotans for the sake of political power" and all that.
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