Former Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska reportedly announced Tuesday that he has been diagnosed with stage-four pancreatic cancer, delivering the news in a deeply personal message marked by faith, resolve, and candor.
Sasse, a two-term Republican senator who is 53, wrote in a lengthy social media post that he learned of the diagnosis last week. He did not soften the gravity of the situation. “This is a tough note to write,” Sasse said, before stating plainly that he has “metastasized, stage-four pancreatic cancer” and that he is “gonna die.”
The former senator described pancreatic cancer in stark terms, calling advanced cases “nasty stuff” and “a death sentence.” Still, he framed the diagnosis within a broader perspective on life and mortality. “But I already had a death sentence before last week too — we all do,” he wrote, underscoring what he described as a shared human condition.
Sasse spoke warmly about the people closest to him, saying he is surrounded by supportive family and friends. He described his siblings and a close circle of friends he considers brothers, sharing a comment from one of them that captured his outlook. “Sure, you’re on the clock, but we’re all on the clock,” the friend told him. Sasse added that death is an unavoidable force, writing that it “pursues us all.”
Despite the diagnosis, Sasse made clear he does not intend to surrender quietly. “I’ll have more to say,” he wrote. “I’m not going down without a fight.” He expressed gratitude for advances in medical science, pointing specifically to developments in immunotherapy and other treatments that offer hope even in dire circumstances.
“One sub-part of God’s grace is found in the jawdropping advances science has made the past few years,” Sasse wrote. He reflected on the difference between death itself and the process of dying, saying that the latter is still something to be lived fully. He said his household has embraced gallows humor and that he has committed to facing what lies ahead with irreverence and courage.
Sasse retired from the Senate in 2023, citing growing frustration during his final years in Washington. He went on to become president of the University of Florida but stepped down from that role after just over a year to focus on his wife’s health. His wife, Melissa, had recently been diagnosed with epilepsy and was experiencing new memory issues, prompting the family to prioritize her care.
In his message, Sasse noted that recent months have drawn him closer to his wife and allowed him to reflect on the lives and accomplishments of their children. He acknowledged the difficulty of sharing news like this but said the timing, during the Advent season, carries meaning for him.
“There’s not a good time to tell your peeps you’re now marching to the beat of a faster drummer,” Sasse wrote. “But the season of advent isn’t the worst.” As a Christian, he said, the weeks leading up to Christmas are a time to focus on hope and what lies ahead beyond this life.
After leaving the presidency of the University of Florida, Sasse continued teaching at the school’s Hamilton Center. His career has spanned academia and public service, including time as a professor at the University of Texas, an assistant secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services, and president of Midland University in Nebraska.
Sasse is not the only former senator to face pancreatic cancer. Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada died from the disease in 2021 after a four-year battle.
Sasse’s announcement was sobering, but his message was unmistakably one of faith, fight, and gratitude, reflecting the conviction with which he approached both public service and personal trial.
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