Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar revealed on Thursday that she was diagnosed with breast cancer seven months ago and that is now cancer-free following successful treatment. In a statement on Thursday, the 61-year-old said that she was diagnosed with Stage 1A breast cancer in February after doctors at Mayo Clinic “found small white spots called calcifications during a routine mammogram.” She then had a biopsy and learned that she had Stage 1A breast cancer.

“After a number of other tests, I returned to Mayo and had a lumpectomy on the right breast which involved the removal of the cancer. In May, I completed a course of radiation treatment, and after additional follow-up visits, it was determined in August that the treatment went well,” she said in a post on Medium.

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The senator went on to thank her family and friends for supporting her during the surgery and radiation, which she said  coincided with the death of her father, Jim Klobuchar, a longtime newspaper columnist.

“Of course, this has been scary at times, since cancer is the word all of us fear, but at this point my doctors believe that my chances of developing cancer again are no greater than the average person,” she added. 

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The Democrat also appeared on the show ‘Good Morning America’ and revealed that she was “feeling much better now.”

“It’s something that no one wants to hear, and no one wants to experience, but it’s really renewed my faith in the people around me and in my purpose,” she said. 

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Urging people to not delay physicals and routine examinations because of the COVID pandemic, she said, “It’s easy to put off health screenings, just like I did. But I hope my experience is a reminder for everyone of the value of routine health checkups, exams, and follow-through.”