Former Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse revealed in a lengthy X post that he has been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer and that he is going to die soon.
A professing Christian, Sasse, 53, served two terms in office before quitting politics to become the president of the University of Florida in 2023—a post he left shortly thereafter on account of his wife having health issues. Prior to entering politics, he was the president of Midland University, a Lutheran college associated with the ELCA.
Notably, he was one of seven Republicans who voteed to imeach Trump following the January 6 Capitol riot.
In a post that has received more than 20.5 million views at the time of writing, Sasse reveals:
“This is a tough note to write, but since a bunch of you have started to suspect something, I’ll cut to the chase: Last week I was diagnosed with metastasized, stage-four pancreatic cancer, and am gonna die. Advanced pancreatic is nasty stuff; it’s a death sentence. But I already had a death sentence before last week too — we all do.”
He notes that he and his wife have grown “closer than ever” in the past few months and praised the accomplishments of his three children, the youngest of whom is 14.
“There’s not a good time to tell your peeps you’re now marching to the beat of a faster drummer — but the season of Advent isn’t the worst. As a Christian, the weeks running up to Christmas are a time to orient our hearts toward the hope of what’s to come.
…Such is the calling of the pilgrim. Those who know ourselves to need a Physician should dang well look forward to enduring beauty and eventual fulfillment. That is, we hope in a real Deliverer — a rescuing God, born at a real time, in a real place. But the eternal city — with foundations and without cancer — is not yet.
Remembering Isaiah’s prophecies of what’s to come doesn’t dull the pain of current sufferings. But it does put it in eternity’s perspective: “When we’ve been there 10,000 years…We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise.”
While insisting he’s “not going down without a fight,” he concludes:
“As we celebrate Christmas, we wish you peace: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned….For to us a son is given” (Isaiah 9).”
