King: I'm cancer-free

King: I'm cancer-free



By BRANDON LARRABEE
Morris News Service
Publication Date: 06/19/09

TALLAHASSEE--Sen. Jim King announced a landmark in his battle against pancreatic cancer Thursday, saying recent tests had shown him free of the disease, and he would now begin a lengthy recovery.

"A recent CAT scan tells me I will be leaving the hospital to go to a rehabilitation facility today CANCER FREE," wrote King, R-Jacksonville, in a letter to friends and supporters.

"I consider myself one of the luckiest individuals in the medical world. ...

"We faced crisis after crisis, we had setbacks with enough disappointments to last most people a life time, but we said we would fight and as of this moment we are winning."

King, a long-serving lawmaker and former Senate president, was diagnosed last month with pancreatic cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. He underwent surgery June 4 at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville.

King still faces a physical recovery that could take a year. A family spokeswoman said he could spend between one and three weeks in an undisclosed rehabilitation facility in Jacksonville.

"Does this mean that the fight is over? Not by a long shot," he wrote in the note. "I am one of the 5 percent of survivors to make it this far and I am not so naive to think that things could not change ugly quickly, but I know I have a fighting chance and I am thankful to be in a rare and unique group."

In the note, King thanked God, hospital workers, and friends and family for helping him pull through. He also showcased a touch of humor when he noted the diet-conscious, alcohol-free lifestyle that his recovery would require.

"I can just visualize some of you reading this and thinking, 'Boy, is Jim ever going to be boring,'" he wrote.

The announcement last month of King's cancer surprised colleagues because the senator showed few signs of slowing down during the legislative session that ended early last month.

He pushed through the Senate a bill that would have required private utilities to generate at least 20 percent of their power from renewable and nuclear sources, though the measure died in the House, and gave an impassioned speech believed to sway some Democrats considering voting against the final budget compromise.

King, who will be forced out by term limits in 2010, said he intends to serve out the rest of his term. However, he withdrew his name from consideration for the chancellor position at the State University System.

brandon.larrabee@jacksonville.com,

(678) 977-3709


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