Rob Ford caught off-guard by news of new tumour he says is likely malignant
Former mayor says he is '99% sure' new tumour is malignant but that he'll keep fighting
A weary and emotionalRob Ford said Thursdayhe is "99 per cent sure" a newly discovered tumour is malignant.
Theformer Toronto mayor'smedical team at Mount Sinai Hospital discovered a tumour on his bladderafter Ford, 46, was hospitalized for several dayslast week with abdominal pain.
"We're praying that it's benign, but you gotta deal with the realistic part of things, and I'm 99 per cent sure it's malignant," he said. "It's the type of cancer that does spread. I just have to deal with it."
Ford said "the best news is that we only have to do two rounds of chemo."
"If they only do two rounds and can operate at Christmas, that's my Christmas gift," he said, adding that "if two rounds don't cut it, they'll have to go five rounds."
He said he and his family werecaught offguard by the discoveryand expressed how hard it was to receive the news from his doctors.
"All I can do is fight, and I'll keep fighting until the day I die," Ford said.
Ford saidhiswife, Renata, and their two youngchildren, Stephanie and Dougie, are the most important people in his life and thanked Torontonians for supporting his family.
"If I pass before my time, I'd like to ask people to please help Dougie and Stephie and Renatain any way you can," he said.
Several Toronto city councillors tweeted their support for Ford Thursday afternoon.
Wishing you a speedy recovery, @TorontoRobFord. We're all behind you as you fight this tumour.
—@norm
My thoughts are with #RobFord today, and I greatly hope this latest bad news about his health turns out to be something he can beat.
—@JohnFilion23
Ford underwent major cancer surgery in May to remove a large cancerous tumour from his abdomen. He was released from hospital two weeks later.
He was initially diagnosed with liposarcoma a cancer that grows in fat cells last fall. The diagnosis forced Ford to drop out of the mayoral race and then undergo chemotherapy and other treatments.