Former Sen. Norm Coleman optimistic he'll beat throat cancer
Former U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman says he's optimistic he'll beat throat cancer.
The Republican announced in October he'd been diagnosed with throat cancer, and recently told KSTP-TV that his Mayo Clinic doctors give him a 90 to 95 percent chance of beating it.
His next PET scan in March will determine whether the cancer is gone, but his first thoughts after receiving the diagnosis were grim.
"If I'm going to die from this thing, who's going to take care of my family?" he recalled thinking.
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It started with several weeks of feeling a "parched" throat. His doctor noticed inflamed tonsils and directed him to a specialist, who determined a lump that had appeared on his throat was cancerous. After announcing his diagnosis on social media, Coleman said he received an outpouring of support — from Democrats and Republicans alike.
One of his first calls was from U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar. He also got a phone call from Sen. Al Franken, the Democrat who beat him in 2008 after a lengthy recount.
"I've been knocked down in the political arena. But you get back up. And you know the good news is that after getting knocked down and getting back up, things are so much sweeter," he said.
Coleman agreed to take part in a clinical trial that reduced his chemotherapy and radiation to two weeks instead of the usual seven weeks. He says he was just the 52nd patient to undergo the novel treatment.
Coleman is back at work with a Washington, D.C.-based law firm and at the Minnesota Action Network, an active political organization. He has a busy travel schedule, splitting time between his home in St. Paul, his cabin near Brainerd, Minn., and Washington.