If there is a politician in this country who is more revered than U.S. Rep. John Lewis, well … I don’t know who that would be.
Lewis is a civil rights icon and I use the term with all the heft that accompanies it. He stood with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. He has been beaten nearly to death by police officers as he sought to mount “civil” protests for the cause of civil and human rights. He has served his congressional district in Georgia with distinction and honor for more than three decades.
He now is fighting Stage IV pancreatic cancer. He has drawn words of encouragement from House colleagues and two former presidents, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. Rep. Lewis said this when announcing his diagnosis:
“I have been in some kind of fight – for freedom, equality, basic human rights – for nearly my entire life. I have never faced a fight quite like the one I have now.
“This month in a routine medical visit, and subsequent tests, doctors discovered Stage IV pancreatic cancer. This diagnosis has been reconfirmed.
“While I am clear-eyed about the prognosis, doctors have told me that recent medical advances have made this type of cancer treatable in many cases, that treatment options are no longer as debilitating as they once were, and that I have a fighting chance.
“So I have decided to do what I know to do and do what I have always done: I am going to fight it and keep fighting for the Beloved Community. We still have many bridges to cross.
“To my constituents: being your representative in Congress is the honor of a lifetime. I will return to Washington in coming days to continue our work and begin my treatment plan, which will occur over the next several weeks. I may miss a few votes during this period, but with God’s grace I will be back on the front lines soon.
“Please keep me in your prayers as I begin this journey.”
Yes, Rep. Lewis, many millions of your fellow Americans will keep you in our prayers.