Rep. John Garamendi Announces Cancer Diagnosis

Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., with tribal leaders and western advocates, speaks at a news conference and presents a petition with more than 800,000 signatures calling on the Biden administration to protect and designate a dozen federal lands, Tuesday, April 16, 2024, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

(KRON) — U.S. Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.) announced Monday that he is undergoing treatment for multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer.

“Like 1.9 million Americans each year, I recently received the dreaded call from my doctor telling me I had cancer. I am grateful to have been diagnosed in time and we are confident that I will soon be in remission,” he said.

Garamendi, 79, said his doctor caught the cancer early. He is now undergoing chemotherapy at a Kaiser hospital in Sacramento to treat it.

“I will get through this while continuing to serve my extraordinary constituents and advance American democracy,” he said.

He said he would continue to work, but his doctors advised him to reduce unnecessary exposure to COVID-19, the flu and other viruses.

According to the Mayo Clinic, multiple myeloma causes a buildup of cancerous plasma cells in the bone marrow. Symptoms include bone pain, nausea and mental confusion.

Garamendi serves areas of the San Francisco Bay Area, including Fairfield and Vacaville. He has been a U.S. representative since 2009.