Former Nebraska U.S. Senator Ben Sasse publicly said some truly heartbreaking news: he has been diagnosed with advanced, stage-four pancreatic cancer.
On Tuesday, 53-year-old Sasse shared news of his diagnosis in a deeply personal message on social media, in which he cited doctors saying the disease was terminal.
Writing with candor and calm in his statement, Sasse acknowledged the reality of his diagnosis while reflecting on faith, family, and gratitude.
“Pancreatic cancer is aggressive & unforgiving,” he said.
“But I’m not giving up.” “I’m not going down without a fight,” he wrote, adding that new medical treatments offer hope, even in difficult moments.
Ben spoke lovingly about his wife, Melissa, and their three children.
Sharing small but powerful details of family life – including college milestones, flight school training, and teaching a teenager to drive.
He indicated that the hardest part has not been the illness itself, but knowing the time he has with them may be shorter than he had hoped.
Once a leading voice among Republicans and later the president of the University of Florida, Sasse stepped back from public life to tend to his family.
Now he says his priorities are unmistakable: husband and father first.
Messages of encouragement continue to stream across the nation, with many reflecting upon Ben Sasse not just as a public figure.
But he was also a man who had faced life’s hardest chapter with courage and faith.
