BETHLEHEM, Pa. — U.S. Sen. Bob Casey reflected on his recent prostate cancer diagnosis while speaking to reporters in Bethlehem on Friday.
"I'm really lucky," Casey, D-Pa., said while in Bethlehem to announce funding for New Bethany Ministries.
"You never want to get a diagnosis with the word 'cancer' in it, but I'm fortunate that I have good health care and I can deal with this."
- PA Sen. Bob Casey (D) says he's doing well, and hopeful, after his recent prostate cancer diagnosis.
- He is set to have surgery to remove his prostate, although says no dates are finalized yet.
- Casey expressed gratitude for good healthcare, and previously defended the Affordable Care Act in 2020.
The 62-year-old Casey announced his diagnosis Thursday in a news release, stating that he got the formal diagnosis in December.
“I can report that I have an excellent prognosis, as well as the benefit of exceptional medical care and the unwavering support of my family,” he said in that announcement.
In 2020, near the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Casey expressed his concern about congressional efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, sometimes referred to as "Obamacare." He warned that 50,000 people in the Lehigh Valley could lose their health care if the act was repealed.
It was not, and is still in effect.
Casey said Friday he doesn't have a date set surgery yet, but he and his team are "working on that."
According to Thursday's announcement from his office, the surgery will be to remove his prostate entirely.
"I'll be able to get through that and get back to work," he said. "So I'm blessed."
Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men in the United States after lung cancer, but experts say that with an early diagnosis it’s very treatable.
Casey is expected to make a full recovery while continuing to serve his time as a member of congress, though there is no indication of what stage of the disease he has.
Casey's father, former governor Robert Casey, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1997 and underwent radiation treatment. The elder Casey died in 2000.
