On Thursday afternoon, beloved former Mayor of Boston Tom Menino released a statement announcing that he’s suspending cancer treatment. According to the Boston Globe, Menino, 71, is also suspending his book tour. Back in March, we reported that Menino announced that he was undergoing chemotherapy treatment for cancer of the liver that also spread to his lymph nodes.
On October 14, Menino released his memoirs Mayors for a New America.
According to CBS Boston, just last week Menino was admitted to the hospital to be treated for dehydration. WHDH notes that the dehydration may have been a result of his treatments, which he was undergoing at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.
Though retired from 20-years at the helm of The Hub and an even longer resume of public service, Menino is currently acting as the co-director of Boston University’s Initiative on Cities. In this capacity, he helped publish the recent report Mayoral Policy-Making: Results from the 21st Century Mayors Survey.
He’s also slated to be honored at the IDEAS UMass Boston innovation event on October 29.
Back in 1984, when Menino was vying to become the Boston City Councilor representing his native Hyde Park, WGBH chronicled the campaign in a 30-minute video which you can watch here.
As you’ll read in the statement below, also from the Globe, Menino is opting to as much time with his loved ones as possible.
Today, I, along with my family, after talking with my medical team, have decided to suspend my book tour as well as my cancer treatments. While I continue to fight this terrible disease, I feel it is time for me to spend more time with my family, grandkids, and friends. The medical team at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital along with those at the Dana-Farber have been amazing in their care and treatment of me and the many other patients and families that suffer from cancer. I am hopeful and optimistic that one day the talented researchers, doctors and medical professionals in this city will find a cure for this awful disease. Angela and I are grateful for the tremendous outpouring of support and kindness shown to our family and ask that everyone keep us in their thoughts and prayers.
