Former Senator Ben Sasse disclosed on Tuesday that he has been diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic pancreatic cancer.
The Nebraska Republican announced his health scare on X, detailing in an extensive social media post that he had received the diagnosis the previous week.
“Advanced pancreatic is nasty stuff; it’s a death sentence,” the 53-year-old said. “But I already had a death sentence before last week too — we all do.”
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Ben Sasses Wife Melissa’s epilepsy diagnosis
The two-term senator retired in 2023 and subsequently took on the role of president at the University of Florida. He later departed from the institution to dedicate more time to his wife, Melissa, following her epilepsy diagnosis.
After resigning as president, Sasse continued to instruct classes at the University of Florida’s Hamilton Center. His previous roles include serving as a professor at the University of Texas, as an assistant secretary at the Department of Health and Human Services, and as president of Midland University.
In his Tuesday statement, Sasse expressed that he and his wife have only grown closer during this time and shared insights about his children’s recent achievements and milestones. “This is hard for someone wired to work and build, but harder still as a husband and a dad.”
He further stated that he will provide additional information in the future, emphasizing that he is “not going down without a fight” and will be receiving treatment.
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Who is Ben Sasse’s wife?
Sasse and Melissa first met during their college years. They married in 1995, and their relationship remains strong to this day.
Melissa comes from a military family and she was raised in Birmingham, Alabama. She obtained her degrees from the University of Alabama and George Mason University. At first, she worked as a school teacher and guidance counselor, The Sun reported.
Earlier, she suffered from a brain aneurysm and gradually made a swift recovery. However, she was also diagnosed with epilepsy in 2024. Following this, Sasse resigned from his presidential role at the University of Florida to look after his family, as reported by AP News.
How many children do Ben Sasse and Melissa have?
Ben Sasse and Melissa are parents to three children: two daughters and one son. Their names are Elizabeth, Breck, and Alexandra.
Annually, over 67,000 individuals in the United States receive a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, resulting in approximately 51,000 fatalities, as per the American Cancer Society.