Convenience Big Store: Sheila Jackson Lee announces that she's undergoing cancer treatment

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Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee announces cancer diagnosis

Late Sunday night, U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee announced that she has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and is undergoing treatment.

Jackson Lee, a 74-year-old Houston Democrat, has battled breast cancer in the past. She didn't specify the stage of her pancreatic cancer in Sunday's statement.

"As I pursue my treatments, it is likely that I will be occasionally absent from Congress, but rest assured my office will continue to deliver the vital constituent services that you deserve and expect," Jackson Lee wrote.

She has represented the 18th Congressional District since 1995. The district, which is overwhelmingly Democratic with three-quarters having voted for President Joe Biden in 2020, includes part of Central Houston and vast portions of northwest and northeast Harris County.

Jackson Lee made no indication that she plans to step down, but said in her statement that it is likely she will "occasionally" be absent from Congress as she received treatment. She said she will work with House leadership to "be present for votes on legislation that is critical for the prosperity and security of the American people."

After a failed Houston mayoral bid, Jackson Lee currently is campaigning for reelection after handily winning the Democratic nomination this March over former Houston City Council Member Amanda Edwards.

Edward McKinley, state government reporter

edward.mckinley@houstonchronicle.com

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