Cancer-Stricken Former Republican Sen. Ben Sasse Vows To Avoid Being A ‘Pansy A**’ As Life Slips Away
Despite being diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, former Nebraska Republican Sen. Ben Sasse hasn’t given up on life, telling a New York Times podcast host on Thursday that he intends to face the unknown ahead of him with hope and clarity.
The 54-year-old, married father of three, announced in a message to
“Death is a wicked thief, and the bastard is after us all,” he wrote. “Yet I have less time than I would have liked. It’s hard for someone to work and build, but even harder as a husband and father.”
Friends-
This is a difficult note to write, but since many of you have begun to suspect something, I’ll cut to the chase: Last week I was diagnosed with stage four metastasized pancreatic cancer, and I am going to die.
The advanced pancreas is an unpleasant thing; It’s a death sentence.…
– Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) December 23, 2025
Having learned of his condition just weeks before Christmas, Sasse, a Reformed Lutheran-Calvinist, framed his announcement in terms of coming to terms with the turning point in his life. He recognized the gravity of his situation in “a time when we needed to direct our hearts to the hope of what is to come.”
“To be clear, optimism is a good thing, and it is absolutely necessary, but it is insufficient,” he continued. “It’s not the kind of thing that holds up when you tell your daughters you’re not going to walk them down the aisle, or tell your mother and father they’re going to bury their son. A life well lived requires more reality, more rigid things.”
Sasse, whose face was bloodied and peeling unhealed — apparently side effects of his medications — nonetheless interspersed his frank reflection when he spoke with Ross Douthat, the conservative host of the “Interesting Times” podcast, with humor and openness.
“I didn’t decide to die in public. I obviously ended up having a call to die. By mid-December I had a life expectancy of three to four months, and I’m on day 99 or something since then, and I’m doing much better than I was at Christmas,” he began. “But even if you only have three or four months to live, you have to buy back the time. There’s only so much unsolicited advice I can give to my kids,” he added, referring to the fact that the former lawmaker has “spoken a lot,” including hosting his podcast “Not Dead Yet” and speaking with a number of journalists and interviewers about his situation. Before his diagnosis, Sasse trained in triathlons to stay in shape before severe and prolonged back pain prompted him to seek medical attention. Full-body scans quickly determined that he had “five forms of cancer: lymphoma, vascular cancer, lung cancer, severe liver cancer, and pancreatic cancer, where it came from.”
“’Here’s a harsh reality: Ben Sasse’s chest is full of tumors,’” Sasse recalled of his doctor breaking the news to him. “I was like, ‘OK, you came up with the real stuff.’ So I have stage 4 pancreatic cancer, already metastasized. They told me straight away, from the first day: ‘It’s not operable, you’re well post-surgical.’
Sasse lived in Florida – “the emotional home of Nebraska” – but resides in Austin, Texas, to participate in his targeted clinical trial in Houston twice a week.
Sasse takes daraxonrasib, a “nasty” drug from Revolution Medicines, orally rather than by injection. “It causes crazy things to happen, like my body can’t grow skin, and so I’m bleeding from a whole bunch of parts of me that shouldn’t bleed,” he said.
“Yeah, you look terrible,” Douthat observed.
“Thank you,” he replied before describing how his palliative care doctor had prepared him to deal with his symptoms. “When you die of abdominal disease, you have an algorithm that manages four variables: you have pain caused by the tumor, you have nausea related to the cancer and treatment, you manage a diarrhea-constipation continuum, and you have energy and fatigue. »
WASHINGTON, DC – MAY 18: Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) (R) speaks with Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE) (M) and Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) (L) on Capitol Hill on May 18, 2017 in Washington, DC. Yesterday, the Justice Department announced that former FBI Director Robert Mueller would be a special counsel to oversee the Russia investigation. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Sasse also reflected on his Christian faith, saying he wasn’t angry at God for apparently not answering prayers for healing. “I don’t know what weaving the tapestry of complete redemption should look like,” he said, “but I know that in going through this period of suffering, it [what] what I’m experiencing is an advantage because it’s a winnowing. He then expressed his gratitude for the blessings of his life and the value of his last days on earth.
“This suffering is not saving, but sanctifying, and I am grateful for that,” Sasse noted. He also described his cancer as a “stake against my delusional self-idolatry” in the face of his soul’s temptations to sinfully display pride. He then identified the significant hope of his life:
I was incredibly lucky to quickly find peace. I constantly heard the Pauline phrase: “To live is Christ, to die is gain.” »
Death is terrible. We should never water it down. This is not how things are supposed to be. But it is wonderful that death can be considered the final enemy. It is an enemy, but it is a final enemy, and then there will be no more tears.
I believe in the Resurrection and I believe in the restoration of this world. So I didn’t feel a great fear of my death. I didn’t want the pain I was experiencing. I didn’t want to be an asshole in the final moments.
When asked if he was ready to die, Sasse responded that he did not feel so, but had no choice but to embrace the ultimate end proposed by Jesus Christ in Scripture.
“He said, ‘You can’t hide the children from me.’ And we are told that we can approach the Almighty, we can approach the divine and call him “Daddy”, “Abba”, “Father?” It’s quite glorious. And I know that’s what I need,” Sasse concluded, prompting a visibly emotional Douthat to end the interview.
After working at the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services, Sasse was elected Nebraska’s junior senator in November 2014, joining Republican Senator Deb Fischer. While representing the Cornhusker State in Congress, Sasse advocated for overhauling the Affordable Care Act. He supported and pushed for disclosure of foreign influence in lobbying and introduced the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act. Sometimes clashing with populist factions of the GOP, he earned a career-high 87% lifetime rating (the average Senate Republican scoring 78%) with the conservative Heritage Action party.
I’m so sorry to hear that Ben. May God bless you and your family.
– JD Vance (@JDVance) December 23, 2025
I am very saddened to hear the news about Ben Sasse this morning. I know he will meet this difficult challenge, anchored in his strong Christian faith and supported by the love of his family and friends. Well, I’m keeping you and your loved ones in my prayers. https://t.co/6c5uoIXSSB
– Senator Deb Fischer (@SenatorFischer) December 23, 2025
“About 60 times my state party or county parties in Nebraska came together to condemn me because I wasn’t Trumpy or anything,” he mused.
While he voted to acquit President Donald Trump during the 2019-20 Democratic-led impeachment effort over the president’s dealings with Ukraine, Sasse joined six other Republican senators in voting to convict him for his role in the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot. Sasse has also notably criticized Trump for his apparent character, as well as his rhetoric about white supremacists, election integrity, tax measures, treatment of women and foreign policy. (RELATED: ‘Politics is not about worshiping one guy’: Sasse says as he faces censorship attempt for criticizing Trump)
Sasse resigned from Congress on January 8, 2023, to become president of the University of Florida; he previously served as president of Midland Lutheran College from December 2010 to December 2014. Citing his wife’s health, Sasse resigned from this position effective July 31, 2024.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent, nonpartisan news service, is available free to any legitimate news publisher capable of delivering a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and DCNF affiliation. For questions about our guidelines or our partnership, please contact licenses@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
