When the caregiver needs care



I don’t get sick days, so the test results were posted to my chart while I was sitting in my office. I opened them before I ever saw the doctor.

I knew what I was looking at, but I checked it again. After researching what I already suspected, I sat there for a moment. The first thought came and went, then the one that remained: What about Gracie?

For 40 years, I have been my wife’s caregiver. After a catastrophic car wreck at age 17, doctors didn’t expect her to survive the night. No one imagined she would marry, have children, and live to see grandchildren.

Trusting Him does not remove the burden, but it defines how I can carry it.

But she did. What didn’t change was the crises.

When the surgery count approaches 100, a crisis is no longer an interruption. It becomes the environment. For 40 years, it has never plateaued.

The pressure doesn’t arrive once a month in tidy episodes. Sometimes it arrives daily. You live on alert, always vigilant, always calculating what could go wrong next. Choking. Seizures. Code blue. Falls. Wound care. Non-responsive. I’ve seen it all. This is the terrain we live in.

Our life runs on a system most people never see and few could imagine. Meals, medications, transfers, safety, transportation, finances, advocacy. I carry all of it. I speak when she can’t. I’m there when she needs something as simple as a glass of water.

It’s a highly specialized operation with no backup, no redundancy, and no margin for error. And like millions of caregivers across this country, I am the one running it.

Two days after I received my test results, sitting in the exam room, the doctor asked if I had any questions. I had the usual, plus two more: How much care will I need afterward? And how much care will I still be able to provide?

That’s how close this is.

RELATED: Life can be hard, but don't forget to laugh

Liudmyla Musiichuk/Getty Images

So when cancer enters the picture, the question isn’t so much about survival as collapse. If I go down, what happens to her?

That’s not fear; it’s just math.

We spend a great deal of time arguing about who is fit to lead this country. But across this country, there are millions of people quietly carrying responsibilities that would break most of the people we argue about.

Those responsibilities don’t come with cameras or talking, and they have no margin for error. There is just the weight of responsibility.

And when something like cancer enters that equation, the question isn’t political, but structural. What actually holds up when the person holding everything together can’t?

This diagnosis was caught early. That gives me time to deal with it.

Caregivers are told to take care of themselves. I have said that for years, and I meant it. But this case is no longer maintenance. It requires intervention, recovery, and being pulled away from the work. And that interrupts and affects everything: Health. Emotions. Lifestyle. Profession. Money. Endurance. Nothing is left untouched.

Spell that out, and it says what so many caregivers struggle to say: Sometimes we need help.

I need the system to hold while I step away long enough to deal with this current issue, and that means accepting care that won’t be done the way I would do it. It means training others and paying for help. It means absorbing the reality that things will go wrong, as they inevitably do.

But this is where conviction steps in. My wife has a Savior, and I am not that Savior.

But still, breakfast has to be made and the laundry has to be done. Trusting Him does not remove the burden, but it defines how I can carry it.

RELATED: Sometimes doing nothing is the hardest challenge of all

Francescoch/Getty Images

The question I have asked for years now returns to me: Christian, what do you believe?

If I believe what I say I do, then what is required of me in this moment? We sing hymns about trusting God, and times like this are when that trust is tested.

Years ago, a reporter asked me, “What would Jesus do as a caregiver?”

I don’t know what He would do. I know what He did do. From the cross, He looked at His mother and entrusted her to John.

Over the years, I have trusted surgeons I barely knew to take my wife into a room and do what I could not. I have signed the papers, handed her over, and waited. Not because I understood everything they were doing, but because I trusted that they did.

I trust surgeons I barely know. How much more can I trust the Savior whom I do?

In His hands, what looks severe is not careless. It is precise and purposeful.

I don’t get to step out of this, but I am not standing in it alone. So I take the next step.

Cancer-Stricken Former Republican Sen. Ben Sasse Vows To Avoid Being A ‘Pansy A**’ As Life Slips Away

'I believe in the Resurrection, and I believe in a restoration of this world. So, I did not feel great fear about my death'

MAHA allies rage over Trump's support for controversial weed-killing chemical



The Trump administration has delivered numerous wins on the "Make America Health Again" front. For example, it took steps to remove damaging fluoride drug products for children from the market; canceled mRNA vaccine development contracts; and took meaningful steps toward eliminating harmful synthetic dyes and other additives from the food supply.

Some of those in the MAHA movement accustomed to winning were shocked to learn this week that President Donald Trump is pushing for an increase in the production of controversial glyphosate-based herbicides.

Trump suggested in an executive order on Wednesday that "glyphosate-based herbicides are a cornerstone of this Nation’s agricultural productivity and rural economy" and that diminished access to such weed-killers would "result in economic losses for growers and make it untenable for them to meet growing food and feed demands."

'The Chemical Lobby is controlling Washington.'

Characterizing production of glyphosate-based herbicides as "central to American economic and national security," Trump invoked the Defense Production Act of 1950 and tasked Agriculture Secretary Brook Rollins with "ensuring a continued and adequate supply."

The president's order also provides legal immunity to those American manufacturers ordered to produce glyphosate-related herbicides.

Glyphosate, first registered for use in America in 1974, is one of the most widely used pesticides in the country. Like various other official bodies, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency claims that "there are no risks of concern to human health when glyphosate is used in accordance with its current label" and that it "is unlikely to be a human carcinogen."

RELATED: The Supreme Court can protect families or protect corporate cover-ups

Photo by: Bill Barksdale/Design Pics Editorial/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

Many remain skeptical of the ubiquitous herbicide and its impact on human health, not least because of its classification by the International Agency for Research on Cancer as "probably carcinogenic to humans."

The report released in May by Trump's MAHA Commission noted that "a selection of research studies on a herbicide (glyphosate) have noted a range of possible health effects, ranging from reproductive and developmental disorders as well as [sic] cancers, live inflammation and metabolic disturbances."

A 2023 study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, which was referenced in the MAHA report, suggested that childhood exposure to glyphosate and its degradation product, aminomethylphosphonic acid, "may increase risk of liver and cardiometabolic disorders in early adulthood, which could lead to more serious diseases later in life."

A 2019 study published in the peer-reviewed medical journal BMJ found an association between the risk of autism spectrum disorder and prenatal exposure to glyphosate. The researchers noted that their findings "suggest that an offspring’s risk of autism spectrum disorder increases following prenatal exposure to ambient pesticides within 2000 m of their mother’s residence during pregnancy, compared with offspring of women from the same agricultural region without such exposure."

A long-term study published last year in the journal Environmental Health found that low doses of the herbicide caused various kinds of cancers in rats. The researchers noted that their findings not only "support the IARC conclusion that there is 'sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity [of glyphosate] in experimental animals," but are "consistent also with the epidemiological evidence showing increases in incidence of multiple malignancies in humans exposed to glyphosate and GBHs."

Zen Honeycutt, a MAHA activist who serves as executive director of Moms Across America, told the Defender, "The implications of this executive order are irreversible."

"Not only has Trump gone back on his word to go after pesticides, destroying the delicate trust that was being built by the MAHA movement with the government, but he paved the path for glyphosate to continue destroying farmland, fertility, and our families’ health for generations to come," added Honeycutt.

Toxicologist Alexandra Munoz tweeted, "The executive branch has just endorsed a carcinogen and enshrined it. This is outrageous and unacceptable."

Vani Hari, a critic of the food industry who founded Food Babe, wrote, "EVERY PRESIDENT since glyphosate was invented has increased the amount of glyphosate being sprayed on our farm land. The Chemical Lobby is controlling Washington, no matter who is in charge & this is why I hate politics."

Trump's executive order was issued the day after Bayer, the company that acquired the glyphosate-carrying product Roundup from Monsanto, announced a proposed $7.25 billion settlement to resolve thousands of American lawsuits alleging that the agrochemical giant neglected to warn people that Roundup could cause cancer.

Bayer noted that "the settlement agreements do not contain any admission of liability or wrongdoing."

Bill Anderson, CEO of Bayer, added in a statement: "The proposed class settlement agreement, together with the Supreme Court case, provides an essential path out of the litigation uncertainty and enables us to devote our full attention to furthering the innovations that lie at the core of our mission: Health for all, Hunger for none."

Bayer gave $1 million to Trump’s 2025 inauguration committee fund.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended Trump's glyphosate initiative, telling CNBC in a statement on Thursday, "Donald Trump’s executive order puts America first where it matters most — our defense readiness and our food supply."

"We must safeguard America’s national security first, because all of our priorities depend on it," continued Kennedy. "When hostile actors control critical inputs, they weaken our security. By expanding domestic production, we close that gap and protect American families."

Kennedy previously called glyphosate a "poison." He also helped Dewayne Johnson, a former school groundskeeper, in his legal battle against Monsanto. A jury found that Roundup caused Johnson's cancer and that Monsanto neglected to properly warn the public about the risks in its marketing.

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James Van Der Beek's message about finding God resurfaces after death: 'I am worthy of God's love'



Actor James Van Der Beek found love from God before his passing.

Since the 48-year-old "Dawson's Creek" star's death from cancer, support has poured in for his family by the millions. However, a video from Van Der Beek's journey with faith may provide an even longer lasting impression than some of his films.

'If I'm worthy of God's love, shouldn't I also be worthy of my own?'

Van Der Beek passed away on February 11, with his family delivering the message on his Instagram account.

"Our beloved James David Van Der Beek passed peacefully this morning. He met his final days with courage, faith, and grace," the message read.

Nose-to-nose with death

Since then, fans have reconnected with a message the actor posted on his birthday on March 8, 2024. At that time, Van Der Beek said he was on the road to recovery after having to look his own mortality in the eye, coming "nose-to-nose with death."

"All of those definitions that I cared so deeply about were stripped from me," he said, after saying he viewed himself as an actor. Being away for cancer treatment meant he could "no longer be a husband" and no longer "pick up his kids and put them to bed."

"I could not be a provider because I wasn't working. I couldn't even be a steward of a land," Van Der Beek continued. It was at this point the Connecticut native revealed how he felt about his identity as a "skinny, weak guy alone in an apartment with cancer."

RELATED: Scott Adams made Trump plausible before anyone else would

Worthy of God's love

"I meditated, and the answer came through. I am worthy of God's love simply because I exist. And if I'm worthy of God's love, shouldn't I also be worthy of my own? And the same is true for you," he posited.

Van Der Beek admitted to his audience that he believed this revelation came to him because of "all the prayers and the love that have been directed toward me."

He added, "However it sits in your consciousness, however it resonates, run with it. ... I am worthy of love because you are. Thank you for the love and prayers everyone. Have a blessed day."

Van Der Beek leaves behind his wife, Kimberly, and six children. Since his passing, many celebrities have come out in support of his family, emphasizing how kind of a soul the actor was.

'Forever in my heart'

This included WWE star Stacy Keibler, who said, "Spending these final days with you has been a true gift from God. I have never been so present in my life," according to Page Six.

NFL legend Brett Favre revealed he was good friends with the Van Der Beek family, remarking on their shared faith, laughs, and conversations over the years.

"The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" actor Alfonso Ribeiro shared multiple heartfelt messages online, stating that he was with Van Der Beek before his passing.

"I'm so broken right now," Ribeiro wrote. "I will forever be in debt for all they’ve given me and my family. He will live forever in my heart."

RELATED: Actor James Van Der Beek calls out Democrats for not holding primary debates, calls them 'back room' decision-makers

'Dawson's Creek' (1997). Photo by Warner Bros./Getty Images

'No debate no democracy'

Throughout his illness, Van Der Beek remarked how financially straining the ordeal had become. He had even auctioned off jerseys from his beloved football movie "Varsity Blues" to pay for cancer treatment in November.

The actor's family has posted a Go Fund Me campaign, which as reached nearly $2.3 million at the time of this writing. Director Steven Spielberg reportedly donated $25,000 as well.

In 2023, Van Der Beek made headlines after criticizing the Democratic Party for not holding a primary to choose their presidential candidate.

"How do we have a government, how do we have democracy if we're letting a small, little back room of people make all the important decisions for us?" he asked at the time.

"That's not a democracy, and it doesn't work. Because y'all have been wrong about a lot these last couple years in that back room. No debate no democracy."

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Scott Adams made Trump plausible before anyone else would



On the timeline of making America great again, two dates in 2015 stand out for anyone who backed Donald Trump before it was safe to do so.

On June 16, 2015, Trump came down the escalator in New York City and announced his run for president. The political class laughed. Conservative pundits mocked him. Commentators treated the whole thing as a stunt. A lifelong Democrat running as a Republican? A celebrity billionaire developer? Please. What a “clown.

Scott understood something most people never learn: Bad reviews from bad people are good reviews. He also understood how to grieve with honor instead of self-pity.

Then came August 13, 2015.

That day, Scott Adams — the creator of “Dilbert” and a best-selling personal development author — published a blog post that reframed the entire race in a single phrase:

Usual frame:
Donald Trump is a clown.
Reframe:
Donald Trump is a clown genius.

That was Adams’ title: “Clown Genius.” And his point was simple: Trump wasn’t improvising. He was persuading. Adams wrote that Trump’s “value proposition” was to “Make America Great,” which meant selling the world on America again — what Adams called “good brand management.”

It sounds obvious now. It didn’t sound obvious then.

Adams became one of the first major nonpolitical public figures to say out loud what millions of Americans were starting to suspect: Trump wasn’t a joke. The joke was the people pretending they couldn’t see what was happening.

“Clown Genius” by Scott Adams, accessed via the Internet Archive

That post didn’t just defend Trump. It gave people permission. It gave tens of millions of everyday Americans cover to voice support for the one candidate the establishment of both parties hated more than anyone they had seen in decades. Adams called it before the polls did, and he kept calling it.

And, in the process, he helped change the course of human history.

He later packaged Trump’s persuasion methods into a book-length case study, “Win Bigly.” And famously, he assigned Trump a 98% chance of winning in 2016 — at a time when most of the media treated the idea as laughable.

Adams paid for that courage.

When he backed Trump in 2015, he didn’t just lose polite invitations. He lit his career on fire. He traded lavish speaking fees, safe corporate fame, and establishment approval for permanent exile from respectable opinion.

In October 2025, Adams described the price in stark terms:

When I decided ... to back Trump … I sacrificed everything. I sacrificed my social life. I sacrificed my career. I sacrificed my reputation. I may have sacrificed my health. And I did that because I believed it was worth it. … I’m really happy I lived long enough to see it. It was worth it. … It was worth it to be right.

Independent journalist and filmmaker Mike Cernovich made the point even more bluntly. Adams could have kept quiet, kept the corporate speaking gigs, and died richer. Instead, he chose the lonely road and earned something bigger than money. He became a legend.

For millions, Scott Adams was more than a cartoonist or a commentator. Worldwide, listeners of Scott’s daily show, “Coffee with Scott Adams,”knew him as our “internet dad.” If Trump is the father of MAGA, Scott is its honorary stepfather.

People didn’t just read him. They listened to him. They learned from him. They built confidence from his willingness to say what others wouldn’t.

President Trump made America great again. Scott Adams made Candidate Trump plausible in the first place.

After a long, public battle with prostate cancer, Scott Adams died on Tuesday, January 13. He was 68.

President Trump responded with a tribute that said more than many will admit.

— (@)

“Sadly, the Great Influencer, Scott Adams, has passed away. He was a fantastic guy, who liked and respected me when it wasn’t fashionable to do so. He bravely fought a long battle against a terrible disease. My condolences go out to his family, and all of his many friends and listeners. He will be truly missed. God bless you Scott!

I’m one of those listeners and friends. More than that, I was Scott’s editor, and I remain the publisher of the Scott Adams library. He brought me on as a contributing editor for “Reframe Your Brain,” a book that has helped thousands of readers apply his signature “reframes” to work, money, relationships, and even faith.

As of this writing, “Reframe Your Brain” is the No. 1 best-seller on Amazon.

RELATED: Glenn Beck remembers Scott Adams: ‘A philosopher disguised as a stick-figure artist’

Phil Velasquez/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

Near the end of his life, Scott also made a quiet but meaningful choice. He accepted Pascal’s Wager — the simple risk-reward logic that faith in Jesus Christ is worth the bet. He pinned that profession to the top of his X.com profile in his final statement.

Scott was a father figure to me in the most practical sense. I asked his advice the way a son asks his dad. He was happy to oblige. That’s who he was: sharp, funny, and eager to be useful.

Now critics will rush in to re-litigate his controversies, including the 2023 livestream that helped get “Dilbert” pulled from newspapers. I wrote the truth for Newsweek at the time, after his remarks triggered an organized effort to kill his book deal and erase him from public life.

I worked with an author on a not-quite-banned book recently. Dilbert creator and bestselling author Scott Adams had his long-running comic strip ended by multiple newspapers and his forthcoming book contract canceled over some hyperbolic remarks on race that were intended to stir up discussion. Scott Adams’ books were twice banned, but Amazon reversed the decision. … Adams then went to his audience and let them know that there were people who didn’t want his book published, and they responded by buying it, en masse. Sales shot up.

Scott understood something most people never learn: Bad reviews from bad people are good reviews.

He also understood how to grieve with honor instead of self-pity. As he wrote in “Reframe Your Brain”:

When you experience the death of a loved one, your instincts push you into feeling tragedy, loss, and pain. Once you have had enough of that, and when you are ready, start tossing these five words around to release some of the pain: Gratitude. Respect. Honor. Privilege. Service.

Scott Adams lived those words. And now he belongs to the ages.

Scott won bigly.

Thank you, Scott.

Glenn Beck remembers Scott Adams: 'A philosopher disguised as a stick-figure artist'



After a hard-fought battle with cancer, the beloved “Dilbert” creator Scott Adams has passed away — and Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck is devastated.

“We pause for a minute. Not for a punch line,” Glenn begins solemnly.

“We pause for a man who quietly became something far more important than most people ever realized. Scott Adams, for most of his life, was just a cartoonist. As if just a cartoonist is a small thing. He was a cartoonist that connected with us because there was so much wisdom in that little man, that everyman,” he says.

“He was a guy we all loved. After you heard his political views, I’m sure half of the country did not love him. But he became a guiding light for so many people who are just willing to think honestly,” he continues.


“You didn’t have to agree with him. He just asked you to think. He became a mentor in a way to so many people just trying to understand how influence really works. He was a guy who was changing his life, and he would mentor us through our lives by watching how he was dealing with things. He really was a philosopher who was disguised as a stick-figure artist.”

And he was a man who found the courage to convert to Christianity in his final moments.

“You’re going to hear for the first time today that it is my plan to convert. So I still have time, but my understanding is you’re never too late. And on top of that, any skepticism I have about reality would certainly be instantly answered if I wake up in heaven,” Adams said in a video he recorded before his passing.

“And so to my Christian friends, yes, it’s coming. So you don’t need to talk me into it. I am now convinced that the risk-reward is completely smart. If it turns out that there’s nothing there, I’ve lost nothing. But I’ve respected your wishes, and I like doing that. If it turns out there is something there and the Christian model is the closest to it, I win,” he continued.

“So with your permission, I promise you that I will convert,” he added.

“I love that,” Glenn says, “because even there he’s being honest.”

“But while Scott said that lightly, I doubt he took that lightly,” he says. “He was a deep thinker.”

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Beloved 'Dilbert' creator Scott Adams dies at age 68



Scott Adams, creator of the iconic "Dilbert" comic strip and ardent Trump supporter, has passed away at the age of 68.

Adams passed away Tuesday morning after a battle with prostate cancer.

'You should prepare yourself that January will be probably a month of transition one way or the other.'

Scott Adams announced his cancer diagnosis on his "Coffee with Scott Adams" show last May.

On the January 1 episode of his show, Adams suggested that his health was declining rapidly. His death was preceded by a visit to the hospital with issues like lower-body paralysis.

RELATED: 'Argument accepted': Dying 'Dilbert' creator and Trump ally Scott Adams says he's becoming a Christian

SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images

“I talked to my radiologist yesterday … and it’s all bad news. So the odds of me recovering are essentially zero. I’ll give you any updates if that changes, but it won’t,” Adams said on Jan. 1. “So there’s no chance I’ll get my feeling back in my legs. And I’ve got some ongoing heart failure, which is making it difficult to breathe sometimes during the day.”

“But at the moment I can breathe, and I’m not in any pain,” he continued. “However, you should prepare yourself that January will be probably a month of transition one way or the other.”

On Monday, Adams was in hospice at his home in Northern California. His first ex-wife, Shelly Miles, told TMZ that Adams began receiving "end-of-life care" last week because his health was declining "rapidly."

Adams is best known for the cartoon "Dilbert," which first debuted in 1989.

His death was announced on the Tuesday episode of "Coffee with Scott Adams," which can be viewed below:

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Cancer care is becoming another Wall Street extraction industry



Across rural America, families are learning a hard lesson. The biggest threat to their local hospital or cancer clinic no longer comes from distance, workforce shortages, or regulation. It comes from private equity.

Over the past two decades, private equity firms have quietly bought hundreds of cancer clinics, oncology practices, and community hospitals. They promise efficiency and stability. Many communities experience something else: consolidation, higher costs, fewer doctors, and the slow erosion of care. When profit targets fall short, clinics close. Patients travel hours for treatment — or go without it altogether.

The same forces that hollowed out manufacturing towns and family farms are now targeting essential health care.

This shift reflects a deeper failure: treating health care as a financial asset rather than a public obligation.

Private equity follows a familiar playbook. Firms acquire medical practices with borrowed money, cut staffing, increase billing, extract profits, and sell within a few years. That model rewards investors. It fails patients who need long-term care and towns that depend on a single hospital or cancer center.

The collapse of 21st-century oncology shows how destructive this approach can be. After private equity took control, the company expanded rapidly across the Southeast while piling on debt. Pressure to generate revenue intensified. Federal investigators later uncovered widespread abuse, including unnecessary testing and illegal billing. The company paid more than $86 million in fraud settlements to the federal government and patients before filing for bankruptcy.

Entire regions lost access to cancer care with little warning. Investors exited. Patients were left to deal with the fallout.

Rural communities suffer the most. In cities, the loss of a clinic often means longer wait times. In rural America, it can mean the end of cancer care entirely. Patients face long drives, delayed treatment, or impossible choices between health and family obligations.

The same pattern appears in rural hospitals owned by Apollo Global Management through its control of LifePoint Health. After the acquisition, hospitals took on heavy debt. Executives sold real estate to raise cash, cut staffing, reduced services, and closed cancer centers. In New Mexico, state officials opened an investigation after reports that an Apollo-owned hospital denied or delayed cancer care for low-income patients.

RELATED: The hidden hospital scam driving up drug prices, coming to a state near you

amphotora / Getty Images

Defenders of private equity claim these firms rescue independent practices from hospital monopolies. In reality, they replace local control with corporate control.

Doctors lose authority to distant executives who never set foot in the affected communities. The language of independence disguises a transfer of power away from patients and physicians and toward investors.

Conservatives should recognize this for what it is. An elite financial class is extracting wealth from essential local institutions and leaving weaker communities behind. The same forces that hollowed out manufacturing towns and family farms are now targeting essential health care.

Cancer care should not function as a short-term investment. Rural hospitals should not exist to satisfy quarterly return targets. A system that allows this will continue to fail the people who rely on it most.

The answer is accountability, not a government takeover of medicine. Regulators must enforce antitrust laws. Policymakers should strengthen protections that preserve medical judgment from corporate interference. Communities deserve transparency about who owns their hospitals and who controls decisions about their care.

Health care depends on trust and continuity. When financialization dominates cancer care, rural Americans lose both. And once these institutions disappear, rebuilding them proves far harder than protecting them in the first place.

'It's a death sentence': Former Republican senator reveals tragic cancer diagnosis



Former Republican Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska announced his terminal diagnosis on Tuesday.

The tragic news was shared in a post on X, where Sasse conceded that he is "gonna die." Sasse revealed his diagnosis is metastasized stage-four pancreatic cancer, but in the same breath proclaimed his deep faith and hope in Christ.

'The process of dying is still something to be lived.'

"This is a tough note to write, but since a bunch of you have started to suspect something, I'll cut to the chase: Last week I was diagnosed with metastasized, stage-four pancreatic cancer, and am gonna die," Sasse wrote. "Advanced pancreatic is nasty stuff; it's a death sentence. But I already had a death sentence before last week too — we all do."

"I'm blessed with amazing siblings and half-a-dozen buddies that are genuinely brothers," Sasse added. "As one of them put it, 'Sure, you're on the clock, but we're all on the clock.' Death is a wicked thief, and the bastard pursues us all.

RELATED: Republican senator announces retirement, citing exhaustion: 'I feel like a sprinter in a marathon'

Erin Schaff-Pool/Getty Images

In the message, Sasse reflected on his many personal and professional accomplishments throughout his 53 years of life, expressing deep gratitude and admiration for his family. Sasse also wrote about the difficulty of navigating tragedy during Christmas, which he described as "a time to orient our hearts toward the hope of what's to come."

"Not an abstract hope in fanciful human goodness; not hope in vague hallmark-sappy spirituality; not a bootstrapped hope in our own strength (what foolishness is the evaporating-muscle I once prided myself in)," Sasse said.

"Nope — often we lazily say 'hope' when what we mean is 'optimism.' To be clear, optimism is great, and it's absolutely necessary, but it's insufficient. It's not the kinda thing that holds up when you tell your daughters you're not going to walk them down the aisle. Nor telling your mom and pops they're gonna bury their son."

RELATED: 'Unnecessary and protracted': Elise Stefanik drops out of New York governor's race

Photo by HANNAH MCKAY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

In addition to leaning on God and his family, Sasse said he will pursue medical intervention.

"Death and dying aren't the same — the process of dying is still something to be lived," Sasse said. "We're zealously embracing a lot of gallows humor in our house, and I've pledged to do my part to run through the irreverent tape."

"But for now, as our family faces the reality of treatments, but more importantly as we celebrate Christmas, we wish you peace: 'The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. ... For to us a son is given (Isaiah 9)."

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‘Wear Sunscreen’: Lee Zeldin Reveals He Beat Skin Cancer

'Wear sunscreen and get your skin checked'