The Assemblyman has throat cancer.
TRENTON -- Assemblyman Jack Ciattrelli, the Republican from Somerset County who is running for governor, disclosed Thursday he is undergoing treatment for throat cancer and will scale back his campaign schedule for the next several weeks.
But Ciattrelli said don't count him out of the Republican primary. He expects to return to the campaign trail in late February, he said at a press conference and in a press release.
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The Assemblyman said he has undergone successful surgery following a diagnosis of oropharyngeal cancer, affecting the back of his throat and tonsils.
"As a husband, father of four, successful small business owner and State Assemblyman, I am accustomed to juggling a busy schedule and never skipping a beat," Ciattarelli said. "My intention was to power through these treatments without any impact on my campaign, but, as so many other New Jerseyans unfortunately know, cancer is a tough adversary."
"The good news is that after consulting with my radiation oncologist Sung Kim, MD, Medical Director of Radiation Oncology at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, my prognosis is excellent, and despite being forced to miss out on events later this month and early next, I expect to be getting back to full speed in the latter half of February," he continued.
"It was important to me that I be fully transparent with my health, and shoot straight with both voters and the media about my condition."
Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.