ANNOUNCED THAT HE HAS AGGRESSIVE
LYMPHOMA.
WILL BE BY MY SIDE WITH EVERY
STEP, GRANTING ME THE STRENGTH
TO DEFEAT THIS DISEASE AND OF
THE WISDOM AND JUDGMENT TO BE
THE PUBLIC SERVANT THAT I WAS
ELECTED TO BE.
OVER THE COMING MONTHS, I WILL
BE RECEIVING MULTIPLE VERY
AGGRESSIVE CHEMOTHERAPY
TREATMENTS.
MOST LIKELY, I WILL LOSE MY HAIR
, YOU WON'T HAVE THESE BEAUTIFUL
GRAY LOCKS.
I MAY TRIM DOWN A LITTLE BIT.
I WON'T STOP WORKING TO CHANGE
MARYLAND FOR THE BETTER.
I WILL BE WORKING HARD AND
MAKING THE DECISIONS THAT THE
PEOPLE OF THIS STATE ELECTED ME
TO MAKE.
THE FACT IS THAT I AM JUST
LIKE
THE MORE THAN 70,000 PEOPLE
DIAGNOSED WITH LYMPHOMA EVERY
YEAR FIGHT IT, BEAT
IT, AND
CONTINUE DOING THEIR JOBS AT THE
SAME TIME.
WITH MY FAITH, MY FAMILY AND
FRIENDS, I KNOW THAT I WILL JUST
THE THIS DISEASE -- JUST
BEAT
THIS DISEASE, BUT I WILL BE A
BETTER AND STRONGER PERSON AND
GOVERNOR WHEN WE GET TO THE
OTHER SIDE.
I THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE, AND
I WOULD BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY
QUESTIONS.
[INDISCERNIBLE]
THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION AND I
ASKED THE SAME QUESTION.
THIS HAS ALL, PRETTY
QUICKLY --
HAS ALL COME UP PRETTY QUICKLY.
I WAS PRETTY SHOCKED WHEN I GOT
THESE MRIS THAT SHOW THIS CANCER
.
I SAID THAT TO THEM AND THE GUY
SAID WE ARE ALL HUGE FANS.
THEY WOULDN'T TELL ME IF
THEY
WERE REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRAT BUT
THEY SAID THEY WERE SUPPORTERS.
I JUST KNOW I AM TRYING TO GET
THE BEST HELP WE CAN GET.
I HAVE A TREMENDOUS GROUP OF THE
BEST PROFESSIONALS AND THEY HAVE
AN IDEA OF A PLAN OF ATTACK AND
WE WILL AGGRESSIVELY GO AFTER
IT.
I ACTUALLY FEEL PRETTY
GOOD,
ALTHOUGH I HAVE BEEN HAVING
PROCEDURES EVERY DAY.
THERE WAS A STORY IN THE POST ON
SATURDAY SAYING I WAS UNDER THE
WEATHER, LIKE I CAUGHT A BUG.
I AM FEELING FIND --
FINE.
I HAD TO DO A CAT SCAN, A PET
SCAN, I'M M.R.I..
THEY DID A BIOPSY AND REMOVED A
LYMPH NODE.
TODAY, I HAD A BONE
MARROW ANGER
THEY ACTUALLY STUCK A 12 INCH
THING INTO MY HIP AND PULLED OUT
SOME BONE MARROW.
THAT HURT A LITTLE BIT.
I'M ACTUALLY TAKING SOME
PAINKILLERS AND THE DOCTOR SAID
I WOULD NOT ADVISE YOU TO MAKE
ANY SERIOUS DECISIONS, JUST REST
UP.
I SAID I AM DOING A PRESS
CONFERENCE AT 4:00.
BUT, I'M FEELING PRETTY GOOD.
THIS STUFF HAS SPREAD, I HAVE A
LOT IN MY ABDOMEN, PRESSING UP
AGAINST MY SPINAL COLUMN.
IT'S DIFFICULT TO EAT BECAUSE
I'M KIND OF FULL, BUT I'M NOT
TERRIBLY SICK.
IT'S JUST SOMETHING I HAVE TO GO
AFTER.
COULD YOU CHARACTERIZE HOW
YOU BECAME AWARE OF THIS?
IT WAS VERY STRANGE AND I
THINK IT WAS TYPICAL OF THIS
PARTICULAR DISEASE, IT JUST
SNEAKS UP ON YOU.
I WILL TELL YOU MY STORY AS
DISTINCTLY AS POSSIBLE.
HAD NO SYMPTOMS ONE SOEVER --
WHATSOEVER, FELT GREAT.
I WAS WORKING 15 HOURS A DAY.
WE WERE ON A 12 HOUR FLIGHT
, 812
HOUR TIME DIFFERENCE AND PEOPLE
COULD NOT BELIEVE THE ENERGY I
HAD.
THE DAY BEFORE WE LEFT, I WAS
SHAVING AND I FELT A BIG LUMP IN
MY NECK.
IT DIDN'T HURT.
I THOUGHT THAT WAS A STRANGE
THING.
I WENT TO SEE MY PRIMARY CARE
PHYSICIAN WHEN I GOT BACK.
HE SENT ME TO GET AN ULTRASOUND
AND SENT ME TO AN ENT GUY WHO
SAID I WANT YOU TO GET SOME MRIS
AND CAT SCANS.
THEY FOUND A 12 MORE OF THESE
THINGS IN MY NECK AND JUST AND
SAID THEY WANT TO DO A FULL MRI.
THEY FOUND 30 MORE IN MY CORE
AND GROIN AREA.
IT WAS ONE TEST AFTER ANOTHER.
IT WAS LIKE PEELING AN ONION.
LET'S SEND YOU FOR THIS TEST,
THAT'S BAD, LET'S SEND YOU FOR
THIS TEST.
I DID REALLY HAVE ANY SYMPTOMS.
I SAW ONE THING, I HAD A LITTLE
BIT OF PAIN IN MY BACK WHICH I
THOUGHT WAS A PULLED MUSCLE.
IT TURNED OUT IT WAS A TUMOR
PRESSING AGAINST MY DESK -- OF
AGAINST MY NERVES CAUSING THE
PAIN.
I STILL FEEL GOOD, I HAVE
ENERGY.
I DON'T HAVE MUCH OF AN
APPETITE.
I'M NOT TIRED, AND NOT IN
TERRIBLE PAIN.
[INDISCERNIBLE]
WHAT STAGE AND HOW LONG IT
WILL TAKE?
ON THE STAGE, WE ARE NOT QUITE
SURE YET.
SO THE TEST I DID TODAY WILL
PROBABLY GIVE US THAT ANSWER.
I AM WORKING WITH A TEAM OF
DOCTORS FROM ANNE ARUNDEL
MEDICAL CENTER AND JOHNS HOPKINS
.
IT'S AT LEAST VERY ADVANCED
STAGE THREE, IF NOT STAGE FOR.
-- IF NOT STAGE FOUR.
AS FAR AS THE TREATMENT,
THEY
WANT TO BE AS AGGRESSIVE AS
POSSIBLE.
BECAUSE OF THE FAST-GROWING
NATURE OF THIS THING, WE CAN'T
WASTE ANY TIME.
THEY WANT TO IMMEDIATELY START
CHEMOTHERAPY TREATMENT AND GO AS
AGGRESSIVELY AS POSSIBLE.
THEY TRY TO GIVE YOU AS MUCH AS
YOU CAN TAKE WITHOUT KILLING
YOU.
I BELIEVE THE PLAN IS THEY ARE
GOING TO PUT ME IN A HOSPITAL
FOR FOUR DAYS AND SHOOT ME WITH
CHEMOTHERAPY FOR 24 HOURS A DAY
AND THEN START A SIX ROUND
PROCESS WHERE THEY ZAP YOU FOR A
DAY AND LET YOU REST UP FOR A
FEW WEEKS, THEN THEY ZAP YOU
AGAIN.
ALTOGETHER IT IS ABOUT AN18-WEEK
PROCESS.
THEY BELIEVE I WILL COME OUT OF
THAT COMPLETELY CLEAR.
THEY ALSO TELL ME IT'S GOING TO
BEAT THE HELL OUT OF ME.
THEY SAY YOU ARE GOING TO GO
THROUGH HELL AND BACK AGAIN, BUT
YOU WILL LOVE IT WHEN YOU GET
BACK.
IT'S NOT WIND BE AN EASY THING,
AND I WILL MISS A FEW PUBLIC
WORKS AND MEETINGS, BUT I WILL
STILL BE CONSTANTLY INVOLVED.
THERE IS PROBABLY TWO OR THREE
DAYS EVERY WEEK OR MONTH WHERE I
WON'T BE FEELING SO WELL AND I
WOULD JUST SEE HOW THAT GOES.
THE REST OF THE TIME, I WILL BE
WORKING.
ANYBODY ELSE?
HOW WILL THE LIEUTENANT
GOVERNOR'S ROLE CHANGE?
THE ROLE HAS CHANGED EVER
SINCE HE BECAME LIEUTENANT
GOVERNOR.
I THINK HE HAS MORE
RESPONSIBILITY NOW THAN ANY
LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR IN HISTORY.
I THINK HE HAS MY BACK, NO
QUESTION ABOUT THAT.
HE IS GOING TO STEP UP AND DO
EVEN MORE.
HE WILL FILL-IN AT THE BOARD OF
PUBLIC WORKS AND COMMITTEES AT
OTHER MEETINGS.
AS WELL THE ENTIRE CABINET, THEY
WILL STEP UP AND DO MORE THINGS
WHEN I CAN'T BE THERE.
IF I AM IN A SITUATION WHERE
THEY PUT ME TO SLEEP, WHICH THEY
DID LAST WEEK
, AND THE
LIEUTENANT REDDER -- THE
LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR WAS READY TO
MAKE DECISIONS IF I WAS NOT ABLE
TO.
LUCKILY THERE WAS NO MAJOR
DECISION WHILE I WAS ASLEEP.
THE LISTENING GOVERNOR DID NOT
MAKE ANY CRAZY DECISIONS, BUT HE
HAS MY UTMOST CONFIDENCE.
IS YOUR PLAN TO REMAIN
GOVERNOR THROUGHOUT?
ABSOLUTELY.
IT IS A TOUGH TIME TO GO
THROUGH, BUT I'M GOING TO HAVE
EVERY CAPACITY TO MAKE
DECISIONS.
I WILL BE AN
-- AT A LOT OF
MEETINGS, YOU WILL STEAL -- YOU
WILL STILL SEE ME AT EVENTS.
WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING
EVEN WITH
MY TREATMENT IN THE PAST 10
DAYS, THEY ARE SHUFFLING PILES
OF DOCUMENTS BACK-AND-FORTH LIKE
EVERY HOUR.
I SAY ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
ANOTHER PILE OF HOMEWORK.
I DON'T SEE ANY REASON WHY
A --
WHY WE WON'T KEEP -- SOME PEOPLE
WOULD SAY -- WOULD THINK I AM
CRAZY NUMBER OF HOURS I PUT IN.
PEOPLE AROUND HERE KNOW IT.
WE GO SEVEN DAYS A WEEK, 12
HOURS A DAY.
I WOULD VENTURE TO
SAY WE'VE GOT
MORE DONE IN FIVE MONTHS --
WE'VE GOTTEN MORE DONE IN FIVE
MONTHS.
IF I WERE TO WORK HALF-TIME, IT
WOULD BE TWICE AS MUCH AS ANY
OTHER GOVERNOR.
TALKING ABOUT THAT WORKLOAD
,
DID YOUR DOCTORS GIVE YOU ANY
INDICATION THAT THAT CONTRIBUTED
TO ANY OF THIS?
THEY DIDN'T GIVE ME ANY
INDICATION AS TO HOW IT
HAPPENED, WHEN IT STARTED, WHAT
CONTRIBUTED TO ANY OF THIS.
I'M SURE OF STRESS AND
HARD WORK
EXACERBATES THE PROBLEMS, BUT IT
DID NOT CAUSE THE SITUATION.
IT JUST HIT
ME IN A VERY SHORT.
OF TIME.
WOULD YOU OFFER THOUGHTS ON
HOW YOU'VE ACCESSED HEALTH CARE
AND --
ON THE PAIN MEDICATIONS I'M
ON TODAY, I PROBABLY WON'T GET
INTO A DETAILED DEBATE ABOUT THE
ENTIRE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM BUT
ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE IS
CRITICALLY IMPORTANT.
I AM LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE ACCESS
TO THE BEST AND NOT EVERYBODY IS
AND THAT IS AN ISSUE.
WE ARE MAKING TREMENDOUS
PROGRESS, AND IT IS AN ISSUE WE
ARE WAITING TO HEAR WHAT HAPPENS
NATIONWIDE WITH RESPECT TO
HEALTH CARE AND HOW WE WILL
PROVIDE IT.
I WOULD HATE TO BE SOMEONE
WITHOUT ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE
AND NOT HAVE -- AND GET THE NEWS
I GOT.
[INDISCERNIBLE]
IF I DIED.
ITS HARD TO FORESEE UNLESS I AM
COMPLETELY INCAPACITATED.
IF I AM UNABLE TO MAKE
DECISIONS, I'M SURE THAT WOULD
MAKE --