Civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis John LewisHillicon Valley: Productivity, fatigue, cybersecurity emerge as top concerns amid pandemic | Facebook critics launch alternative oversight board | Google to temporarily bar election ads after polls close Underwood takes over as chair of House cybersecurity panel Trump to pay respects to Ginsburg at Supreme Court MORE (D-Ga.) said on Sunday that he has been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer and will undergo treatment soon.

“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," the 79-year-old congressman said in a statement detailing his prognosis on Sunday afternoon.

“This month in a routine medical visit, and subsequent tests, doctors discovered Stage IV pancreatic cancer. This diagnosis has been reconfirmed," he continued.

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He said that while he is "clear-eyed" about the prognosis, doctors have told him that recent medical advances have made the type of cancer he has been diagnosed with "treatable in many cases" and added that he has "a fighting chance."

“So I have decided to do what I know to do and do what I have always done: I am going to fight it and keep fighting for the Beloved Community," Lewis said. "We still have many bridges to cross."

The Georgia Democrat added that he plans to return to return to Washington in the coming days to continue his work in Congress and also begin a treatment plan, which he added “will occur over the next several weeks.”

“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.

The news comes months after the veteran lawmaker celebrated his 79th birthday. At the time, top Democrats and many on social media heaped praise on the congressman for his long history of social activism.

Prior to first being elected to Congress in 1986, Lewis rose to national prominence as a civil rights leader for his work as a freedom fighter and famously marched alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the March on Washington in 1963.

Democrats running for president were among lawmakers to share messages of support and encouragement for the civil rights icon, recognizing him as a hero and fighter, in tweets shortly after Lewis's Sunday announcement.

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I’m saddened to learn of @repjohnlewis’s cancer diagnosis.



He’s an American hero and an civil rights icon who will no doubt continue to fight for peace and justice, even as he fights this disease. https://t.co/D5rZKwDzyg — Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) December 29, 2019

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