Washington, D.C.,24 December (H.S.): Former U.S. Senator Ben Sasse, the Nebraska Republican who served from 2015 to 2023, disclosed on Tuesday his diagnosis of metastasized stage-four pancreatic cancer, candidly terming it a death sentence while vowing to fight amid reflections on faith and family.

In a poignant X post issued early Tuesday, the 53-year-old Harvard and Yale alumnus wrote: Friends - This is a tough note to write, but since a bunch of you have started to suspect something, I'll cut to the chase: Last week I was diagnosed with metastasized, stage-four pancreatic cancer, and am gonna die. He elaborated that advanced pancreatic is nasty stuff, yet framed mortality as universal: But I already had a death sentence before last week too — we all do, invoking Advent's Christian hope.

Sasse, husband to Melissa and father of three daughters—Elizabeth, Aubrey, and Eliza—pledged resilience: I'm not going down without a fight, citing immunotherapy advances as divine grace.

Sasse distinguished himself by joining six GOP colleagues in convicting President Donald Trump during his 2021 second impeachment trial post-January 6 Capitol riot, decrying congressional timidity: A weak and timid Congress will increasingly submit to an emboldened and empowered presidency.

Though aligned on policies like tax cuts, his Trump critiques drew primary ire, prompting his 2022 exit announcement.Sasse assumed University of Florida presidency in 2023, resigning July 2024 to support his wife after her stroke.

A Florida Auditor General review later flagged $14.8 million in 2023-24 spending—a 72% surge—including pre-game events and bonuses; Sasse defended expenditures as appropriate, with UF discontinuing certain perks.

A former Lutheran turned Presbyterian, Sasse emphasized Advent's anticipation of eternity, distinguishing death from dying: Death is a wicked thief... Still, I’ve got less time than I’d prefer. This is hard for someone wired to work and build, but harder still as a husband and a dad. Colleagues including Utah Gov. Spencer Cox lauded his candor.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar