Secretary of State Sam Reed has been diagnosed with kidney cancer and will undergo surgery next week in Seattle.
Reed, 69, is scheduled for surgery at Virginia Mason Medical Center on Monday, according to a press release issued by his office today.
Reed “is expected to make a full recovery and will return to work after a brief recuperation,” according to the release.
From the release:
Doctors found a cancerous tumor in his left kidney during diagnostic tests for unrelated abdominal pains that subsequently cleared up. A scan showed that the cancer is confined to the kidney and has not spread to other organs. Surgeons will remove the kidney laparoscopically, a minimally invasive procedure involving small incisions. Radiation and chemotherapy will not be required. The hospital stay is typically two or three days, followed by a week or two of home rest.
“The cancer is absolutely curable, and I really lucked out in terms of early detection,” Reed said in a statement contained in the release. “Thanks to early detection and diagnosis, my doctors say my prognosis for successful surgery and recovery is excellent.”
Reed is in his third term and is the senior Republican statewide elected official.
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