Mark Warawa was able to go home on Easter Sunday.
It was the first outing for the Langley-Aldergrove Conservative M.P. since he was hospitalized with suspected pancreatic cancer.
Warawa, in a online Facebook message, said he was permitted to leave hospital for a short time to go with family to the Easter service at their church and then spend some time with family at home.
“It was wonderful,” Warawa said.
He added he was gaining weight and “getting a little stronger every day.”
On April 14, Warawa announced he was in hospital and facing possible pancreatic cancer.
While he waited for results of tests on his pancreas, a stent was put in his bile duct so his liver could drain.
Then, doctors advised they had also found cancer in his colon, which could require a 10- to 12-hour surgery as well as six months of chemotherapy.
But not long after that, Warawa reported encouraging news from a “smiling” medical team.
“They said the mass on my pancreas is not cancer, it is a tumor called PNET,” Warawa said.
While he still has colon cancer, it is believed to be fully treatable with “a simple surgery,” which will be performed in May, Warawa said.
On Sunday, he said he will have a procedure to replace the temporary plastic bile duct stent, probably on Tuesday.
“Then, they will check out my lungs with a camera on Wednesday,” Warawa said.
“They need to find the source of the coughing.”
READ MORE: Langley MP describes most recent diagnosis as a ‘miracle’
READ MORE: MP Mark Warawa hospitalized with possible cancer, online message says
Warawa recently announced he would not be running for re-election and said that he has been studying to become a chaplain for end of life care.
He said his experience has allowed him to experience “first hand the emotions and struggles of a terminal diagnosis.”
“I now know how to care for people facing eternity,” Warawa said.
An MP for the Langley and then the Langley-Aldergrove federal riding since 2004, Warawa was an Abbotsford city councillor for 14 years before he jumped into federal politics.
He has most recently been serving as a shadow cabinet secretary for seniors in the Conservative opposition ranks.
When he announced he was retiring from federal politics, Warawa said he was looking forward to spending more time with his 10 grandchildren.
He put forward private member’s bills several times, including the Safe At Home Bill, which was passed in 2014.
The bill required courts to consider banning sex offenders from living within two kilometres of their victims’ homes. It was particularly intended to protect young victims.
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Email: dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com
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