Sarah Huckabee Sanders reveals surgery for thyroid cancer

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, a former White House press secretary and now the Republican nominee for governor of Arkansas, announced Friday that she had undergone surgery to remove her thyroid after being diagnosed with cancer. 

Sanders said in a statement that her doctor ordered a biopsy on an “area of concern” earlier this month during a check-up, and the test revealed that she had thyroid cancer. She said the surgery was successful, and she is now cancer-free. 

“I want to thank the Arkansas doctors and nurses for their world-class care, as well as my family and friends for their love, prayers, and support,” she said. 

Sanders said she looks forward to returning to the campaign trail soon. 

“This experience has been a reminder that whatever battle you may be facing, don’t lose heart,” she said. “As governor, I will never quit fighting for the people of our great state.” 

John Sims, Sanders’s doctor, said in a statement that she is recovering from the surgery in which her thyroid gland and some surrounding lymph nodes in her neck were removed. He said the cancer was a Stage I papillary thyroid carcinoma, which is the most common type of thyroid cancer, and has an “excellent” prognosis. 

“While she will need adjuvant treatment with radioactive iodine, as well as continued long term follow up, I think it’s fair to say she’s now cancer free, and I don’t anticipate any of this slowing her down,” Sims said. 

Sanders served as White House press secretary for the Trump administration from 2017 to 2019. She is the daughter of former presidential candidate and Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R).