Former U.S. Senator Ben Sasse announced Tuesday that he had been diagnosed with stage four metastatic pancreatic cancer. The 53-year-old former MP and university president called the diagnosis terminal and stressed that his Christian faith is central to how he views his condition and the future.
“Last week I was diagnosed with stage four metastasized pancreatic cancer and I am going to die,” Sasse declared Tuesday. “Advanced pancreas is a nasty thing; it’s a death sentence. But I’ve already been sentenced to death before last week too – we all do it.”
Sasse paid tribute to his support system, writing, “I’m blessed to have amazing brothers and sisters and a half-dozen buddies who are truly brothers. As one of them said, ‘Sure, you’re on time, but we’re all on time.'” Death is a bad thief, and the bastard is after us all.
Acknowledging his family’s emotional burden, Sasse shared, “Yet I have less time than I would like. It’s hard for someone who is willing to work and build, but even harder as a husband and father. I can’t begin to describe how great my people are.” He recounted recent milestones in his children’s lives, including Corrie enlisting in the Air Force, Alex graduating from college early while teaching several science classes, and Breck learning to drive.
The diagnosis, shared just days before Christmas, prompted Sasse to reflect on the deeper meaning of this season. “There’s no good time to tell your friends that you now march to the beat of a faster drummer – but the Advent season isn’t the worst. As a Christian, the weeks leading up to Christmas are a time to point our hearts toward hope for what is to come.”
He wrote: “Not an abstract hope in fanciful human goodness; not a hope in vague scholarly spirituality; not a hope primed in our own strength (how stupid is the evaporating muscle of which I was once proud). No – often we lazily say “hope” when we mean “optimism” when you tell your daughters that you are not going to walk them to the altar.
Rather than clinging to sentimentality, Sasse describes a faith that confronts suffering head on. “A life well lived requires more reality, more rigid things. That is why during Advent, even walking in the darkness, we cry out our hope – often correctly with a deep voice that cuts through our tears.”
“This is the vocation of the pilgrim. Those who know they need a doctor should hope for lasting beauty and eventual fulfillment. That is, we hope in a true Deliverer – a savior God, born at a real time, in a real place. But the eternal city – with foundations and without cancer – does not yet exist,” Sasse observed.
Drawing on the prophecies of Isaiah, Sasse noted how Scripture reframes even the most difficult realities. “Remembering Isaiah’s prophecies about what is to come does not lessen the pain of current suffering,” he wrote. “But that puts it in the perspective of eternity.” He followed with a line of “Amazing Grace” to emphasize this eternal vision: “When we have been here for 10,000 years…We have no fewer days to sing the praises of God.”
Even in the face of dark odds, he vowed not to go quietly: “I will have more to say. I will not go down without a fight.” Expressing gratitude for medical advances, Sasse wrote: “A subpart of God’s grace is found in the breathtaking advances science has made in recent years in immunotherapy and much more. »
He noted that the dying process “is still something to experience”, adding that his family embraced “a lot of dark humor” and that he was determined to “go through the irreverent tape”.
Concluding his message, Sasse offered a blessing rooted in Scripture:
“But for now, as our family faces the reality of treatment, but more importantly as we celebrate Christmas, we wish you peace: ‘People who walk in darkness have seen a great light; on those who live in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned…For unto us a son is given’ (Isaiah 9).”
Sassé, who take a step for the U.S. Senate in 2023, had served two terms representing Nebraska. His resignation came in part because of frustration with the political climate in Washington, D.C., and to assume the role of president of the University of Florida. He later left this role to care for his wife Melissa, following her diagnosis with epilepsy and emerging memory problems.
During his tenure at the University of Florida, he took a strong stance in support of Jewish students during pro-Hamas protests on campus in 2024, stating: “UF is proud to house the most Jewish students in the country. It’s the most Jewish university in the country, and it’s great to be a Jewish alligator.”
Sasse too opposite confirmation of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the U.S. Supreme Court, citing what he described as his lack of discernible judicial philosophy, which he said should have been made “clear and understandable” to the committee. He joined other Republicans in expressing concerns about Jackson’s conviction record in child pornography cases, including a lenient sentence for convicted sex offender Wesley Hawkins. During the confirmation fight, Joy Behar, co-host of ABC’s The View, took aim directly to Sasse, declaring: “The Ben Sasses of the world are more dangerous than even the Lindsey Grahams. » Despite opposition, Jackson was ultimately confirmed to the Supreme Court.
