Rep. Dan Kildee announced Friday that he has been diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, a serious but curable form of cancer.
Kildee, 64, is from Flint and has represented Mid Michigan since 2013.
In a letter to his constituents, Kildee said he scheduled what he thought was a preventative scan for a swollen lymph node a few weeks ago after consulting doctors.
"Thankfully, I caught it very early. With early detection and great doctors, they found a very small tumor in one of my tonsils," Kildee said in the statement. “It’s never easy to hear the words you have cancer. But I know that so many other families have gone through a cancer diagnosis.
Kildee said he will have surgery to remove the cancer in a few weeks and the prognosis after surgery and treatment is "excellent."
“I am going to get through this. I’m going to beat cancer. I appreciate the love of my family and wife Jennifer, as well as the help of my extraordinary staff. And to my constituents and my colleagues in Congress, thank you for your continued support," he said.
He said he will be taking a few weeks off but his Congressional office will remain open.
According to the National Institutes of Health, squamous cell carcinoma on the tonsil is commonly known as throat or tonsil cancer and it's the sixth-most common cancer worldwide.
