Former Republican Sen. Ben Sasse announced Tuesday that he has been diagnosed with metastasized stage 4 pancreatic cancer, calling the disease terminal in a candid message posted online.
Sasse, who represented Nebraska in the US Senate from 2015 to 2023, said he plans to continue fighting and spoke openly about mortality, faith, and advances in medical treatment.
Friends-
— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) December 23, 2025
This is a tough note to write, but since a bunch of you have started to suspect something, I’ll cut to the chase: Last week I was diagnosed with metastasized, stage-four pancreatic cancer, and am gonna die.
Advanced pancreatic is nasty stuff; it’s a death sentence.…
He described pancreatic cancer as aggressive but said the process of dying is still something to be lived with purpose.
After leaving the Senate, Sasse served as president of the University of Florida, resigning last year to focus on family matters following his wife’s epilepsy diagnosis.
BREAKING: Former Republican Sen. Ben Sasse diagnosed with metastatic stage-four pancreatic cancer, he says: 'It's a death sentence' pic.twitter.com/BWsVIrG9e2
— Fox News (@FoxNews) December 23, 2025
In Congress, Sasse was known for breaking with his party, including voting to convict President Donald Trump after the January 6 Capitol riot. Trump later criticized him publicly.
Sasse said he is leaning on family, close friends, and humor as he faces the diagnosis.
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