Civil Rights activist Congressman John Lewis (D-GA) prepares to pay his respects to U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) who lies in state within Statuary Hall during a memorial ceremony on Capitol Hill in Washington on Oct. 24, 2019. (Melina Mara-Pool/Getty Images)

Rep. John Lewis of Georgia Says He Has Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer

ATLANTA—Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) announced Sunday that he has stage IV pancreatic cancer, vowing he will keep serving and fight the disease.

Lewis, the youngest and last survivor of the Big Six civil rights activists in a group once led by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., said in a statement that the cancer was detected earlier this month during a routine medical visit.

The 79-year-old Democrat said subsequent tests confirmed the diagnosis of stage IV pancreatic cancer.

“I have been in some kind of fight—for freedom, equality, basic human rights—for nearly my entire life. I have never faced a fight quite like the one I have now,” Lewis added.

Lewis said he was “clear-eyed about the prognosis” even as doctors have told him that recent medical advances have made this type of cancer treatable in many cases. He added that “treatment options are no longer as debilitating as they once were, and that I have a fighting chance.”

Lewis added that he decided he will return to the nation’s capital in coming days to continue his work and begin his treatment plan. He said medical treatment will be ongoing over the next several weeks but he did not elaborate on the specifics of the treatment or the cancer itself.

“I may miss a few votes during this period, but with God’s grace I will be back on the front lines soon,” he said in asking for prayers.

An Atlanta Democrat, Lewis is known for the prominent role he had in the 1960s civil rights movement.

Lewis turned to politics in 1981, when he was elected to the Atlanta City Council. He won a seat in Congress in 1986.