HOUSTON — Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee took to social media Sunday to reveal that she has been battling pancreatic cancer.
In a statement posted on X, the 74-year-old congresswoman said that she is currently undergoing treatment and that her fight was “more personal,” but she will approach it with the “same faith and the same courage” that she has utilized throughout her groundbreaking career.
“I am confident that my doctors have developed the best possible plan to target my specific disease. The road ahead will not be easy, but I stand in faith that God will strengthen me,” Jackson Lee stated.
As she undergoes treatment, Jackson Lee said it is likely that she’ll occasionally be absent from Congress, however, he office will “continue to deliver the vital constituent services that you deserve and expect.”
Jackson Lee has represented Texas’ 18th District in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1995. Now in her 15th term, she serves on the House Committees on the Judiciary, Homeland Security, and the Budget, and is the first female Ranking Member of the Judiciary Subcommittee for Crime and Federal Government Surveillance, a subcommittee she chaired during the 117th Congress.
“I am committed to working with our Congressional Leadership including Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Speaker of Houston to serve this nation and be present for votes on legislation that is critical for the prosperity and security of the American people. By God’s grace, I will be back at full strength,” Jackson Lee expressed.
Educationally, Jackson Lee holds a B.A. in Political Science from Yale University and a J.D. from the University of Virginia Law School. She is married to Dr. Elwyn Lee, an administrator at the University of Houston. She has two children: Jason Lee, a Harvard graduate, and Erica Lee, a Duke graduate and member of the Harris County School Board. She is also the proud grandmother of twins Ellison Bennett Carter and Roy Lee Carter III.
Read Jackson Lee’s full statement here.
NNPA Newswire contributed to this report.
