Sep 16, 2022 - Politics & Policy

Sarah Huckabee Sanders says she had thyroid cancer removed

 Sarah Huckabee Sanders worked the crowd at a campaign stop in Bella Vista, Ark., on Sept. 9, 2022.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders worked the crowd at a campaign stop in Bella Vista, Ark., on Sept. 9, 2022. Photo: Worth Sparkman/Axios

The Arkansas GOP gubernatorial candidate and former White House press secretary announced she underwent surgery Friday to remove cancer from her throat.

What's happening: Sanders said in a statement that her doctor ordered a biopsy earlier this month that revealed she had thyroid cancer.

What they're saying: “Sarah is currently recovering from surgery in which we removed her thyroid gland and some of the surrounding lymph nodes in her neck," her doctor John Sims said in the statement.

  • "The surgery went extremely well, and I expect her to be back on her feet even within the next 24 hours," Sims added.
  • Sims is a head and neck oncologic and microvascular reconstructive surgeon at CARTI Cancer Center in Little Rock, Ark.

Yes, and: "...by the grace of God I am now cancer-free," Sanders said in the statement.

  • "I look forward to returning to the campaign trail soon. This experience has been a reminder that whatever battle you may be facing, don't lose heart. As governor, I will never quit fighting for the people of our great state."
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