Bob Dole, the 97-year-old former Republican senator and 1996 presidential candidate, announced Thursday that he is battling lung cancer.
“I was recently diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. My first treatment will start on Monday “, Dole said on Twitter.
“While I certainly have some hurdles ahead of me, I also know that I join millions of Americans facing major health challenges,” he added.
Dole represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996. He was the leader of the Republican Party for the last 11 years of his term.
He served in the House of Representatives from 1961 to 1969.
In the early 1980s, Dole chaired the Senate Finance Committee, which helps guide U.S. fiscal, trade, and health policy.
He was also the Republican presidential candidate in the 1996 election, losing deeply to President Bill Clinton, who won 49.2% of the vote against Dole’s 40.7%.
Dole, who was the vice presidential candidate in the 1976 election, suffered serious injuries in Italy during World War II that resulted in a lengthy hospitalization.
With publishing cables