Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) has revealed she was treated for breast cancer earlier this year, and after the "scary" experience, she's urging others not to delay routine physicals because of the pandemic.
The Minnesota senator and former presidential candidate in a Medium post on Thursday said that in February 2021, she was diagnosed with Stage 1A breast cancer after doctors "found small white spots called calcifications during a routine mammogram." She subsequently had a lumpectomy and underwent radiation treatment, and she writes that the treatment went well.
"Of course this has been scary at times, since cancer is the word all of us fear, but at this point my doctors believe that my chances of developing cancer again are no greater than the average person," Klobuchar said.
After thanking her doctors and nurses, the senator went on to speak to those Americans who have been delaying medical examinations because of the pandemic, herself included.
"It's easy to put off health screenings, just like I did," she said. "But I hope my experience is a reminder for everyone of the value of routine health checkups, exams, and follow-through. I am so fortunate to have caught the cancer at an early enough stage and to not need chemotherapy or other extensive treatments, which unfortunately is not the case for so many others."
Klobuchar concluded her post by writing that the experience also gave her "renewed purpose to my work."