THUNDER BAY -- Just three years after announcing he was cancer free, Bruce Hyer has been diagnosed with a tumour on his tongue.
The independent MP for Thunder Bay-Superior North made his diagnosis public with an official statement at a news conference Monday afternoon at his constituency office.
Hyer is scheduled to have the tumour surgically removed in Ottawa Wednesday and then will recover in hospital for a week or two. After having beat neck cancer in 2009, Hyer said he was surprised by this latest diagnosis.
“It was disappointing. I thought I got past that so here I have to go and have to do it again,” he said.
“I was one-for-one and hopefully now I’ll be two-for-two and continue to be effective in my job.”
Hyer said doctors said the prognosis is good and while it could take anywhere from a couple of weeks to a couple of months to recover, he is optimistic.
“I am told though that in the short-term and possible the longer-term I may have some impairment to my speech. Hopefully that won’t be the case but with the technology today, I’m sure I’ll find a way to communicate in some fashion,” he said.
While Hyer is recuperating, he said he will still be accessible through email at [email protected] and his staff will also be available.
“I’m sure all the people here in Thunder Bay-Superior North will be well served during this time period,” he said.
He hopes to be back to work as quickly as possible and mentioned how with his last cancer diagnosis, he was told he wouldn’t be able to make it to the House of Commons for a month or two, but he ended up not missing a single day.
For when he is back in the House and if he’s unable to speak, Hyer said he would be allowed someone to speak on his behalf or there might be some kind of electronic method he can use.
Hyer also expressed his concerns about the disease and that he believes more needs to be done to protect Canadians from carcinogenic substances.
He was in charge of pesticide control for environmental programs when he worked in Connecticut before he moved to Canada.
“I was concerned then and remain concerned that things we’re putting in our air, food and water are causing an epidemic of cancer. I’ve been concerned about that for 40 years,” he said.
NDP Kenora-Rainy River MPP Sarah Campbell released a statement Monday saying she was shocked and saddened to hear of Hyer’s diagnosis.
“I have known Bruce for many years and consider him to be both a friend and mentor,” she said. “I also know that he is a fighter, having battled and defeated cancer three years ago, and I have no doubt he will make a similar recovery from this current setback.”
