NEW JERSEY - New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy revealed in a tweet Saturday evening that he has a tumor on his left kidney and will undergo a partial nephrectomy in early March to remove it.
A nephrectomy is the surgical removal of a kidney.
“The expectation is that overwhelmingly, assuming nothing happens on the operating table or you don’t get an infection or something, you’re back on your feet and back in the game without any impairment going forward,” Murphy said during an interview with NJ.com.
Murphy told NJ Advance Media that doctors are confident of being able to eradicate it. He said he doesn't anticipate needing chemotherapy or radiation.
“Over 50,000 New Jerseyans will hear the words ‘you have cancer’ this year, so I’m far from alone here,” the Democratic governor tweeted. "It’s a situation that far too many families find themselves in. That’s why we’re fighting for them each and every day.
“Health care is a right, not a privilege for a select few, and skyrocketing medical costs are a national emergency. If there’s anything my diagnosis reminds me of, it’s that preventative services are lifesaving and we need to continue fighting for affordable health care for all,” he wrote.