Weld County DA Ken Buck Says He Has Lymphoma
GREELEY, Colo. (CBS4/AP) - The district attorney in Weld County says he's battling lymphoma.
Ken Buck, a Republican who has been DA since 2004, ran for U.S. Senate and won the primary against Jane Norton. He eventually lost to Democrat Sen. Michael Bennet.
Buck shared the following announcement through Facebook Sunday:
As, some of you have been aware I have been dealing with some health challenges. Recent tests have determined I have lymphoma. I WOULD APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT IN PRAYER! It seems scary, but I am facing this challenge head on and will be going in for a biopsy tomorrow, Monday, and begin treatment on Wednesday.
Please understand that my family and I will need privacy as we adjust to these changes. I am not sure what treatment will bring, so the best way to communicate for now will be to check updates here on facebook. Updates will be posted here as soon as they are available.
Thank you, your prayer and support are appreciated.
Buck, well-known for aggressive enforcement of immigration laws as Weld County district attorney, recently joined The Colorado Compact, a coalition of politicians, business and community groups that backs a "sensible path forward" for some illegal immigrants.
In 2009, Buck and local authorities lost an appeal on immigration in the Colorado Supreme Court, which ruled that authorities and prosecutors violated the constitutional and privacy rights of suspected illegal immigrants when they used tax returns to try and build hundreds of identity theft cases against them.
The 4-3 ruling came after investigators raided a tax business that catered to Latinos in Greeley, an agricultural city on the northern plains of Colorado with a heavily Hispanic population. A favorable ruling for Weld County could have given prosecutors a new tool to find and prosecute illegal immigrants, who are required to pay taxes despite their legal status.
Bennet, Buck's opponent in the Senate race, used strong fundraising to blanket the airwaves and build a large campaign organization to turn out Hispanics, young voters and women squeezed by the economic downturn.
Lymphoma is a type of blood cancer.
LINK: Ken Buck's Facebook Page
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