Ben Sasse Reveals Terminal Pancreatic Cancer Diagnosis

Former Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse announced he has been diagnosed with terminal stage 4 pancreatic cancer. The 53-year-old Republican shared the news in an emotional holiday letter posted on X on Tuesday, December 23.

“Last week I was diagnosed with metastasized, stage-four pancreatic cancer, and am gonna die,” Sasse wrote. “Advanced pancreatic is nasty stuff; it’s a death sentence. But I already had a death sentence before last week too — we all do.”

Family and Friends Offer Strength

Sasse praised the support around him. “I’m blessed with amazing siblings and half-a-dozen buddies that are genuinely brothers. As one of them put it, ‘Sure, you’re on the clock, but we’re all on the clock.’ Death is a wicked thief, and the bastard pursues us all.”

He acknowledged the challenge of facing his prognosis as a husband and father. “There’s not a good time to tell your peeps you’re now marching to the beat of a faster drummer — but the season of advent isn’t the worst,” he wrote.

Reflecting on Hope and Reality

As a Christian, Sasse reflected on the meaning of hope. He distinguished between optimism and the deeper, resilient hope needed to face life’s hardest truths.

“To be clear, optimism is great, and it’s absolutely necessary, but it’s insufficient. It’s not the kinda thing that holds up when you tell your daughters you’re not going to walk them down the aisle. Nor telling your mom and pops they’re gonna bury their son,” he explained.

“A well-lived life demands more reality — stiffer stuff. That’s why, during advent, even while still walking in darkness, we shout our hope — often properly with a gravelly voice soldiering through tears.”

Fighting with Science and Humor

Sasse emphasized that he is not giving up without a fight. He highlighted recent advances in immunotherapy and stressed that the dying process can still be actively lived.

“Death and dying aren’t the same — the process of dying is still something to be lived. We’re zealously embracing a lot of gallows humor in our house, and I’ve pledged to do my part to run through the irreverent tape,” he wrote.

Christmas Message Amid Crisis

Despite his diagnosis, Sasse and his family celebrated Christmas with gratitude and hope. “As our family faces the reality of treatments, but more importantly as we celebrate Christmas, we wish you peace: ‘The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned….For to us a son is given’ (Isaiah 9),” he shared.

Pancreatic Cancer: A Deadly Disease

According to the National Cancer Institute, pancreatic cancer ranks as the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S. Early symptoms are rare, and no screening test exists. Most cases are detected in advanced stages, making it one of the deadliest cancers, with a five-year survival rate below 13%.

Sasse’s letter combines personal vulnerability, faith, and resolve, offering a powerful reflection on life, hope, and the fight ahead.