Senate Majority Leader Dziedzic has cancerous tumor removed
Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Kari Dziedzic speaks after the governor and Management and Budget commissioner gave a state economic and budget forecast in St. Paul, Minn., Monday, Feb. 27, 2023. (Renée Jones Schneider/Star Tribune via AP)
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Kari Dziedzic announced Tuesday that she has cancer.
In a statement Tuesday, Dziedzic said she went through a series of tests after an “abnormal” pap smear test in December. Those tests returned a cancer diagnosis, and her doctors told her to go ahead with the surgery on Friday.
“The surgery was a success; and I am grateful to my doctors, nurses, and all the support staff at the University of Minnesota for the care I received,” she said.
For now, she says she is staying at home while she recovers and plans to be back at the Capitol “soon.”
“Regular check-ups are key to early detection and prevention of the spread of cancer,” she said. “I urge everyone to visit their doctor and prioritize preventative care.”
Her statement did not specify what kind of cancer her doctors diagnosed.
Dziedzic became majority leader for the 2023 session after helping Democrats take control of the Senate, putting them in control of both houses of the Legislature and the governor’s office for the first time in eight years. Democrats have used their “trifecta” to swiftly pass a long list of pent-up priorities they couldn’t when Republicans controlled the Senate, including new protections for abortion rights.