Former US Senator Bob Dole Diagnosed With Stage 4 Lung Cancer

Former Sen. Bob Dole announced he has Stage 4 lung cancer and will begin treatment next week. The 97-year-old Kansas Republican served in the Senate for almost three decades and was the Republican nominee in the 1996 presidential election, losing to incumbent President Bill Clinton. He has been a longtime advocate on health care issues, co-founding the Bipartisan Policy Center, a think tank that focuses on public health.

“Recently, I was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer,” Dole said in a statement released by his office. “My first treatment will begin on Monday. While I certainly have some hurdles ahead, I also know that I join millions of Americans who face significant health challenges of their own.” Stave 4 lung cancer is the most advanced form of the disease, meaning it has spread from the lung in which it originated to the other lung and/or other parts of the body, according to the Cancer Treatment Centers of America.

Dole was born in Russell, Kansas, and served in the U.S. Army during World War II, earning the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. He first served in Washington in the House of Representatives from 1961 to 1969 and served in the Senate from 1969 until 1996. Dole was the Senate Majority Leader when Republicans had the majority during President Ronald Reagan and Clinton’s terms. In 1976, President Gerald Ford chose Dole as his running mate, but they lost to President Jimmy Carter.

Dole has advocated for changing the health care system. Health care reform was a major part of his 1996 presidential platform, notes Politico. He promised to find “ways to make health care more accessible and affordable for all Americans” and “ensure that individuals who change jobs do not lose their coverage or face pre-existing condition limitations.” In 2007, he also co-founded the Bipartisan Policy Center think tank. In 2012, he pushed for the Senate to ratify the Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Dole also supporting passed in the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. “This historic civil rights legislation seeks to end the unjustified segregation and exclusion of persons with disabilities from the mainstream of American life,” Dole said in an interview. “The ADA is fair and balanced legislation that carefully blends the rights of people with disabilities…with the legitimate needs of the American business community.”

During the 2016 presidential campaign, Dole endorsed former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush but endorsed eventual President Donald Trump after he clinched the party’s nomination. In January 2018, he received the Congressional Gold Medal. In 1997, Clinton presented Dole with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.