Redondo Mayor Shares Update To Cancer Diagnosis: 'Virtually Gone'

REDONDO BEACH, CA — Redondo Beach Mayor Bill Brand announced updates to his lung and brain cancer diagnosis Friday. The brain masses are "virtually gone," his lymph nodes are cancer free, his back is healing and the lung mass is "about 10 percent of its original size," Brand said in a Facebook post.

In the post, he thanked his doctors, nurses, x-ray technicians, researchers, administrators, office workers, janitors and "all the hard working individuals who brought state-of-the-art healthcare to me so that I could recover and get back to a fulfilling life," he said. He also shared photos of his brain scans to show the progress made.

"It has been quite a journey — very painful at times, but rewarding in many, unexpected ways," Brand said. "The other important lesson in all this is to be sure to enjoy some of today. While I still have lung cancer and I'm not out of the woods, who is? In fact, we will all have our day, so don't forget to enjoy, today!"

Brand was diagnosed with cancer for the third time in July 2019. Brand said he had a seizure on a flight to Mexico, where he was going to attend the North American Mayor's Summit.

"The seizure was a very bizarre and unexpected event that had never happened to me before," he said. "When I woke up, I had a new seatmate who had an oxygen tank in her hand and told me I had been out for about 30 minutes. She was a physician assistant who had volunteered to attend to me."

The plane landed 15 minutes later, and Brand was taken to a hospital where he spent the night. He attended the conference, but went to his regular doctor as soon as he returned, he said.

After days of tests, he was diagnosed with lung cancer that spread to his brain, which is what caused the seizure, he wrote in a public Facebook post. The seizure was his first symptom, and his doctors said he can continue his duties as mayor while he receives treatment.

This is the third Brand has been diagnosed with cancer — 25 years ago he had testicular cancer, and 20 years ago he had skin cancer, he said. However, the diagnosis was still "very shocking" to Brand, his family and close friends, he wrote. Although he's been a "very active and healthy person all [his] life," he has some short- and long-term adjustments to make, he said.

Read more: Redondo Beach Mayor Diagnosed With Cancer