via flickr/Tim Tai
U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill said one of the hardest parts of her cancer diagnosis was telling her family.
U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill says she’s feeling fine and returning to work after receiving treatment in St. Louis for breast cancer.
The 62-year-old politician announced her diagnosis in February on social media, calling the news “a little scary.” Since receiving treatment at Siteman Cancer Center in St. Louis, McCaskill has started talking publicly about her recovery.
See also: Sen. Claire McCaskill: “I Have Breast Cancer”
“Following rounds of tests, doctors eventually found several sites and two different types of cancer,” McCaskill posted on Medium Wednesday. “Thanks to early detection and three weeks of treatment, including a lumpectomy and radiation, I returned to my normal life with a good prognosis, my fingers crossed, and sights set on getting back to work.”
McCaskill said the diagnosis was a surprise, especially since she’s hardly ever sick, the senator told Fox 2 Now’s Shirley Washington in an on-camera interview.
“I was shocked because I’ve never even taken one bit of medication in my life, ” McCaskill said. “I’ve never been sick. I have gone years without even missing work for even the flu.”
Doctors found McCaskill’s cancer during a routine mammogram.
“When the radiologist called me into the room and said, ‘We’re going to have to take a closer look,’ I was surprised,” McCaskill said. “You don’t expect it to be you until it is.”
Like so many other parents living with cancer, McCaskill said one of the hardest parts of her diagnosis was telling her family. She said having her seven grandsons around the house more recently has been “a welcome distraction” from her health concerns.
“I didn’t cry until after I finished talking to my kids, because it was obvious to me that this was a little bit of a gut punch for them,” McCaskill said. “You know, it’s the people you love that impact you more than what impact it has on you, so that was a little bit of a moment where I got emotional.”
McCaskill said her diagnosis has also allowed her to see a new side of Washington politics.
“I think this is the first time in my political career I have felt that kind of love even from my haters. They were nice and kind and sent prayers,” McCaskill said.
McCaskill returned to work the day she received her last treatment with a new focus on supporting cancer research.
“I wanted to get back at it just to reassure everyone that I was fine and nothing was going to fall through the cracks,” she said.
You can watch the full interview video here:
McCaskill published her health update on Medium on Vice President Joe Biden’s “cancer moonshot” blog, part of his efforts to find a cure for the disease that killed his son Beau last year.
“As a mother, and now as someone who has also been touched by cancer, I’m in awe of the Vice President’s dedication to transforming his personal grief, after losing his son to cancer, into something that could better the lives of nearly everyone in this country,” McCaskill wrote of Biden’s online initiative. “I can’t imagine a better tribute to a child.”
Contact Lindsay Toler by an email at LToler@stlmag.com or on Twitter @StLouisLindsay. For more from St. Louis Magazine, subscribe or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
