(WAND) — Former Illinois Governor Jim Edgar announced a cancer diagnosis on Monday.
"Doctors at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago have determined I have pancreatic cancer that has spread. They and physicians at Mayo Clinic are coordinating on a treatment regimen that I am following initially in Arizona, where we spend the winter, and later in Springfield when we return. We do not underestimate this challenge, but we have confidence in the medical team helping us address it.
"Brenda and I remain hopeful, and we are grateful for the kindness of so many who have offered their prayers and support."
Edgar served two terms as Illinois governor, succeeding Jim Thompson in 1990. He announced a retirement from politics in 1997 near the end of his second term in the governor's office.
FILE - Former Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar speaks in support of Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner during a campaign rally outside the Illinois State Capitol Monday, Nov. 3, 2014, in Springfield, Ill. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman)
Edgar had previously served in the Illinois House of Representatives and as the Secretary of State.
In a statement about the diagnosis, House Speaker Emanuel ‘Chris’ Welch described Edgar as "a model of a true statesman" and said the opportunity he had to learn through the Edgar Fellows Program "helped me as a new lawmaker, as a committee chair, and still today as Speaker."
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