WICHITA —Kansas 4th district democrat party leader James Thompson announced on Facebook Sunday that he has cancer.
Thompson, a Wichita attorney was the party’s congressional candidate and was defeated by Ron Estes in 2017 and 2018.
In his social media post, Thompson wrote, “First, I want to say thank you to everyone who encouraged me to run for office again, whether it was Congress, Mayor, Senate, or District Attorney. I can’t really express how much your support means to me. Your enthusiasm and kindness inspired me to keep going during the campaign and to continue after it was over.
Unfortunately, it is unlikely that I will ever have the opportunity to run for office again. I just found out, I have a rare cancer called a carcinoid tumor with accompanying carcinoid syndrome. The tumor metastasized into multiple lesions/tumors on my liver, which means I am in the later stages. The carcinoid syndrome causes severe head and torso flushing, dizziness, fuzzy headedness, and extreme fatigue. The good news is this is a “slow moving” cancer that I have probably had for many years and will probably be able to live for at least a few more. We are fortunate that Obamacare allowed us to have insurance. Hopefully, it continues.
For those of you who know me personally, you know that I am a stubborn SOB. I have a 14 year old daughter who I plan to see graduate high school, and the lord willing, walk down the aisle. I also have a 19 month old daughter and I want her to remember me as her father and our good times and laughter.I fought for my country, I fought for you, and you can sure as hell bet I will fight to live.
As you can imagine, my availability to attend events will depend on how I am feeling. I plan to continue in my role as the 4th Congressional District Democratic Chair, and practice law to the extent I am able, although I can no longer take on the stress of civil rights litigation.
I appreciate your prayers, warm thoughts and general encouragement as I and my family go through this as so many others in our country do everyday. Thank you for allowing me the honor of twice having been your nominee for U.S. Congress. I have a dark sense of humor. I joke that I may run for Congress or Senate as “Terminal Thompson” because I have built in term limits. (Not everyone thinks this is funny, but like I said, dark sense of humor. I bet this scares the hell out of Estes. LOL)
KDP Chair @VickiHiatt: “I know @JamesThompsonKS to be a fighter and he will give his all to step up to this new challenge. I speak for all the members of the KDP family in wishing James and his loved ones the strength to fight through this.” https://t.co/c6l4Eifj7r pic.twitter.com/fWwWzyHlqA
— Kansas Dems (@KansasDems) June 10, 2019
“My one wish is that people step up to take the baton and continue fighting for a better Kansas. Knock doors, make phone calls, get involved in campaigns for candidates who inspire you, and most importantly, run for office at every level. Sitting on the sidelines is no longer an option. Let them know you are here and you want a just, decent, and empathetic society. Inspire people to empower themselves and make a better city, Kansas and country. Make people understand the definition of diversity must also include diversity of opinion. Don’t allow the politics of hatred to override the sense of decency I know resides in everyone who supported me. I am so sorry this happened but Kansas is worth fighting for. What do we say to cancer? Not today!”