Longtime Rep. Raul Grijalva, D-Ariz. passed away at 77 years old on Thursday after a battle with lung cancer.
He was one of the longest-tenured members of Congress in the history of Arizona, serving for more than two decades. Grijalva died due to complications from his cancer treatment, his office told the Arizona Republic, part of the USA TODAY Network.
Grijalva’s battle with cancer has been ongoing since he announced his diagnosis in April 2024. Following the announcement, Grijalva took time away from Capitol Hill to undergo treatment.
“A few weeks ago, I sought medical treatment for a persistent cough which was initially diagnosed as pneumonia. After further testing and imaging, my physician discovered that I have cancer,” he wrote in a statement posted in April 2024.
What type of cancer did Grijalva have?
Although he did not originally disclose what type of cancer he was suffering from, Grijalva eventually told the Arizona Daily Star in an interview that he was suffering from lung cancer.
“One thing came out of this was good. I quit smoking,” Grijalva told the outlet.
Grijalva had abandoned a habit of heavy smoking that stretched back decades, the Daily Star reported.
The CDC says 80 to 90% of lung cancer deaths are connected to smoking.
What are lung cancer symptoms?
The CDC says that most people who suffer from lung cancer do not have symptoms until the cancer is advanced, some of these include:
- Coughing that gets worse or doesn’t go away.
- Chest pain.
- Shortness of breath.
- Wheezing.
- Coughing up blood.
- Feeling very tired all the time.
- Weight loss with no known cause
According to the American Cancer Society, more than 124,000 people in the United States are expected to die due to lung cancer this year.
Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected] and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.
