Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-Mineola) said Monday she will receive medical care for a “treatable” form of lung cancer that her doctor discovered during her recent annual physical.
In a statement, McCarthy, 69, who is currently serving her ninth term in Congress, said she will soon begin a course of treatment at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan.
She said her doctor “has told me that I begin my treatment in good physical health and that he looks forward to my return to work after I recover.”
McCarthy said her staff will continue to “support the needs” of her constituents in her absence.
“There will be some tough days ahead and I will have to miss activities in Washington during my treatment in New York, but I will continue to be a strong advocate for the 4th Congressional District – and I remain committed to improving Long Island’s schools, improving public health and safety, improving our economy, and protecting our seniors and veterans,” McCarthy said.
She said “several diagnostic tests” led to the diagnosis of lung cancer, adding, “A treatment plan will begin soon and I look forward to its successful completion.”
McCarthy requested privacy for herself and her family during her treatment.
“I am a fighter, as many people know, and I am committed to beating this latest challenge in my life,” she said, adding, “I look forward to a successful treatment and returning to continue the mission that I’ve started as a member of Congress.”
McCarthy has previously had significant health problems. In 2008, she reportedly started taking medication for back pain and subsequently had back surgery.
McCarthy, a registered nurse for more than 30 years, ran for Congress after a gunman, Collin Ferguson, fatally shot her husband Dennis and critically wounded her son Kevin during a shooting rampage on the Long Island Rail Road in 1993.
She has been a persistent advocate of gun control legislation during more than 16 years in Congress. McCarthy is the sponsor of the Assault Weapons Ban of 2013 that would restrict civilian access to assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines.
In January of 2008, President George Bush signed McCarthy’s National Instant Criminal Background Check Database Improvement Amendments Act into law. That bill provides grants to states to upgrade information and identification technologies for firearms eligibility determinations and require all Federal agencies that have records on persons for whom it is illegal to purchase a firearm to provide that information to the Attorney General for inclusion national background check database.
McCarthy delivered the commencement address for the University of Medicine and Health Sciences at the United Nations last Saturday, quoting poet William Carlos Williams’ assertion “that which is possible is inevitable.”
McCarthy’s 4th Congressional District includes North New Hyde Park, Garden City Park and Mineola, and stretches down to the South Shore.
Reach reporter Richard Tedesco by e-mail at rtedesco@theislandnow.com or by phone at 516.307.1045 x204. Also follow us on Twitter @theislandnow1 and Facebook at facebook.com/theislandnow.
