MD Governor Announces Cancer Diagnosis

BALTIMORE (CN) - Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan has stage-three lymphatic cancer but says he will remain in office during his treatment.

Hogan, 59, described his B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma diagnosis as "very advanced and very aggressive."

Although the cancer has "spread very rapidly, it's also one that responds very aggressively to chemotherapy treatment," Hogan said in a short video announcement on the governor's office website.

"There's a very strong chance of success," the first-term governor added.

A real estate executive before the 2014 election, Hogan is the first Republican in more than a decade to hold the governor's office in this primarily Democratic state.

"Once again I will be an underdog and a fighter," Hogan said.

The 18-week chemotherapy plan that doctors laid out for Hogan will "beat the hell out" of him but leave him "completely clear" of cancer, he promised.

Hogan said he would begin his treatment with a four-day hospital stay and then continue from there a day at a time.

"I am going to face this challenge with same energy and determination that I relied upon to climb every hill and over come every obstacle I have faced in my life."

It is unclear what Hogan's illness means for Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford.

"I won't stop working to change Maryland for the better," the Republican first-term governor said in a statement. "I'll be working hard and making the decisions that the people of this state elected me to make."

Subscribe to Closing Arguments

Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.

Email *

Submit