Democratic Rep Sheila Jackson Lee reveals cancer diagnosis

Democratic Rep Sheila Jackson Lee has revealed that she has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

The 74-year-old Texas congresswoman released a statement on X on Sunday night announcing that she is currently undergoing treatment “to battle this disease that impacts tens of thousands of Americans every year”.

Jackson Lee said that her diagnosis means she will likely be “occasionally absent from Congress” but vowed that her office will “continue to deliver the vital constituent services that you deserve and expect”.

“I am confident that my doctors have developed the best possible plan to target my specific disease,” she said.

“The road ahead will not be easy, but I stand in faith that God will strengthen me.”

She added: “Please keep me and my family in your prayers as you have always done. Know that you will remain in mine.”

Jackson Lee has represented Texas’ Congressional District 18 – which includes Houston – for three decades, after first being elected to Congress in 1995.

This March, she won the Democratic primary election after facing her toughest challenger to date: former Houston City Council member Amanda Edwards.

Her primary win came months after a failed bid to become Houston’s next mayor in December. The 74-year-old congresswoman lost out to Democratic state Senator John Whitmire.

In Congress, Jackson Lee currently serves on the House Judiciary and Homeland Security committees and is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Her diagnosis marks the latest health issue among House lawmakers at a time when Republicans are clinging onto a slim majority.

In late 2022, congressman Jamie Raskin announced that he had been diagnosed with a “serious but curable” form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma and was undergoing chemotherapy.

Then in August 2023, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise announced that he was being treated for blood cancer.