Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA) revealed that he has been diagnosed with cancer, offering his “love and solidarity” to all people “managing cancer.”
In a video on X, Garamendi revealed that he has been diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a form of cancer.
Multiple myeloma is a “cancer that forms in a type of white blood cell called a plasma cell,” according to the Mayo Clinic.
“As a leader in the Congressional Families Cancer Prevention Organization, Patty [his wife] makes sure that I’m on the watch for that strange mole and that I take my routine blood tests,” Garamendi said.
Garamendi added that he had received a call from his doctor asking him when he would be back in California and informing him that he needed “to come in for a series of tests.”
Like 1.9 million Americans each year, I recently received the dreaded call from my doctor informing me that I had cancer. I am thankful to have caught this early, and we are confident that I will soon be in remission. Watch my full statement here: pic.twitter.com/qWoPFVtLcv
— John Garamendi (@RepGaramendi) July 8, 2024
“Thus began my journey with multiple myeloma,” Garamendi added. “Tests confirmed that I have an early stage of this blood cancer, and I’m embarked on my journey to remission with a course of chemoimmunotherapy as an outpatient at Kaiser Oncology in Sacramento.”
Chemoimmunotherapy is an “emerging treatment option” for patients with cancer. It works by “targeting cancer cells through chemotherapy and boosting the immune system’s ability to fight cancer through immunotherapy,” according to the National Library of Medicine:
Chemoimmunotherapy is an emerging treatment option for cancer that combines traditional chemotherapy with immunotherapy. This approach aims to increase the efficacy of cancer treatment by simultaneously targeting cancer cells through chemotherapy and boosting the immune system’s ability to fight cancer through immunotherapy. Several studies have shown promising results after using chemoimmunotherapy to treat various types of cancer, including melanoma and lung cancer. However, the optimal dosing, timing, and sequencing of these treatments still require further investigation. In this review, we summarize recent advances and future directions in the field of chemoimmunotherapy in the clinical management of patients with cancer.
Garamendi added that he was “grateful” that President Joe Biden had created the Cancer Moonshot and for California’s “efforts to advance stem cell research in the 1980s,” along with “taxing cigarettes” and putting that money toward research for cancer.
The Cancer Moonshot is an “initiative to bring renewed leadership to the fight against cancer, facilitate new collaborations, and drive progress across the cancer journey utilizing all facets of the oncology community,” according to the White House website.
Garamendi added:
I will continue to work as I take the treatments. However, I’ve been cautioned by my doctors to reduce unnecessary exposure, to avoid COVID-19, the flu, and other viruses. In addition to destroying cancer cells, chemotherapy impairs natural antibodies and undermines the body’s immune system.
“My love and solidarity go out to all other families managing cancer and all other health conditions, and to the doctors and nurses and medical personnel who provide us with comfort and hope,” he concluded.
