Hogan: ‘I’m feeling like I’m getting back into the swing of things’

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/hogan-im-feeling-like-im-getting-back-into-the-swing-of-things/2015/10/22/06278ea8-78ff-11e5-b9c1-f03c48c96ac2_story.html

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Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) said he is starting to regain his strength after completing his sixth and final chemotherapy treatment last week.

“I’m feeling like I’m getting back into the swing of things,” Hogan said Thursday during a news conference in Baltimore to announce changes to the city’s transit system.

Hogan said he expects it will take him a couple of months to get back to full speed and for his hair to start growing, but “I’m really feeling pretty strong.”

Hogan was diagnosed with Stage 3 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in June. Last week, he finished an 18-week regimen that required him to receive five days of round-the-clock chemotherapy treatments every three weeks.

[Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan says he has ‘advanced’ form of cancer]

Thursday’s news conference in Baltimore was his first public appearance since his final treatment. Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford filled in for Hogan at Wednesday’s Board of Public Works meeting. Rutherford has stood in for the governor often since Hogan’s cancer diagnosis.

Hogan said he hasn’t returned to his 18-hour-a-day work schedule, but he is putting in a full day.

“My staff wish I would ramp it down,” Hogan said. “I’m not 100 percent, but I feel great.”

And what type of advice would he offer to others dealing with cancer, who may not feel as strong dealing with the disease?

“You’ve got to stay positive, do what your doctors tell you,” Hogan said. “And the prayers don’t hurt. . . . I believe in the power of prayer.”

The governor said tens of thousands of people from across the state and around the world have offered him prayers. He routinely asks them to keep others in mind.

Hogan has become an advocate for cancer patients, particularly children dealing with the disease.

[Hogan on cancer advocacy: ‘I never expected to be in this position’]

“There’s an awful lot of people suffering,” Hogan said. “One out of three people is going to be affected by cancer” through the diagnosis of a loved one or friend.