A Letter From Charles Krauthammer

This past week saw the broadcast of a letter on Fox News, that has brought a wave of saddened shock to the United States and around the World. Dr. Charles Krauthammer, Political Correspondent, Author, and Syndicated Columnist, revealed in a note that seemed to share concern for everyone who would read or hear it, that he has succumbed to a second bout of Aggressive cancer. He wrote as follows.

“I have been uncharacteristically silent these past ten months, I had thought that silence would soon be coming to an end, but I’m afraid I must tell you now that fate has decided on a different course for me.”

A Straightforward Approach

“In August of last year, I underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor in my abdomen. That operation was thought to have been a success, but it caused a cascade of secondary complications, which I have been fighting in the hospital ever since. It was a long and hard fight with many setbacks, but I was steadily, if slowly, overcoming each obstacle along the way and gradually making my way back to health. However, recent tests have revealed that the cancer has returned. There was no sign of it as recently as a month ago, which means it is aggressive and spreading rapidly. My doctors tell me their best estimate is that I have only a few weeks left to live. This is the final verdict. My fight is over.

I wish to thank my doctors and caregivers, whose efforts have been magnificent. My dear friends, who have given me a lifetime of memories and whose support has sustained me through these difficult months, and all of my partners at The Washington Post, Fox News, and Crown Publishing.”

A Humble Heart

“Lastly, I thank my colleagues, my readers, and my viewers, who have made my career possible and given consequence to my life’s work. I believe that the pursuit of truth and right ideas through honest debate and rigorous argument is a noble undertaking. I am grateful to have played a small role in the conversations that have helped guide this extraordinary nation’s destiny.

I leave this life with no regrets. It was a wonderful life — full and complete with the great loves and great endeavors that make it worth living. I am sad to leave, but I leave with the knowledge that I lived the life that I intended.”

A Legacy Left Behind

As the letter was read aloud, tears were swallowed back as the full impact of the loss, not just to Fox News, but to the entire Journalistic community, especially those who aim for integrity. Certainly, Dr. Charles Krauthammer will leave behind him a legacy of the pursuit of truth and an unwillingness to compromise that truth. He will also leave behind his wife, Robyn, and son Daniel. One can only imagine the harrowing reality of what his family must be experiencing, and the prayers of all of us at New Right Network are with him and his Family as he prepares for the end of his life.

To consider the end of one’s life takes a bravery, and for most, we believe that time is far in the future. When that death is revealed as imminent; to accept it takes nobility, to speak of it displays character and to empathize with others displays an unselfish heart. If Dr. Krauthammer hadn’t led a distinguished life and had an enviable career (which he enjoyed even while being partially paralyzed and in a wheelchair from a swimming accident in his youth), we could all say that he died bravely. That he overcame so much difficulty in his life and still could be awarded the title of ambassador for what the French call “la joi des vivre” (the joy of life) proves Dr. Krauthammer a titan to be revered, admired and imitated. Here, while he yet lives is one of the greatest of us all.