Charles Krauthammer revealed in a letter on Friday that he is suffering from terminal cancer and has just a few weeks to live.
Sandra Smith read the heartbreaking letter from the Pulitzer Prize winner on "Outnumbered." Krauthammer explained that he suffered a "cascade of secondary complications" after surgery to remove a cancerous tumor in his abdomen last August.
Krauthammer said in a recent message recent message to concerned viewers that he was "finally getting back on track" in his recovery, but more recent tests revealed that the cancer had returned.
The full letter read:
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"This is the final verdict. My fight is over," he wrote.
The full letter read:
I have been uncharacteristically silent these past ten months. I had thought that silence would soon be coming to an end, but I’m afraid I must tell you now that fate has decided on a different course for me.
In August of last year, I underwent surgery to remove a cancerous tumor in my abdomen. That operation was thought to have been a success, but it caused a cascade of secondary complications — which I have been fighting in hospital ever since. It was a long and hard fight with many setbacks, but I was steadily, if slowly, overcoming each obstacle along the way and gradually making my way back to health.
However, recent tests have revealed that the cancer has returned. There was no sign of it as recently as a month ago, which means it is aggressive and spreading rapidly. My doctors tell me their best estimate is that I have only a few weeks left to live. This is the final verdict. My fight is over.
I wish to thank my doctors and caregivers, whose efforts have been magnificent. My dear friends, who have given me a lifetime of memories and whose support has sustained me through these difficult months. And all of my partners at The Washington Post, Fox News, and Crown Publishing.
Lastly, I thank my colleagues, my readers, and my viewers, who have made my career possible and given consequence to my life’s work. I believe that the pursuit of truth and right ideas through honest debate and rigorous argument is a noble undertaking. I am grateful to have played a small role in the conversations that have helped guide this extraordinary nation’s destiny.
I leave this life with no regrets. It was a wonderful life — full and complete with the great loves and great endeavors that make it worth living. I am sad to leave, but I leave with the knowledge that I lived the life that I intended.
Sandra Smith, Harris Faulkner, Juan Williams and Chris Wallace spoke glowingly of their longtime Fox News colleague, with Wallace saying he shed tears when he learned of the news from Bret Baier.
The "Fox News Sunday" anchor said the letter was "quintessential Charles Krauthammer," calling it "so graceful, so honest, so brave."
Wallace said he never heard Krauthammer express any pity for himself over being paralyzed from a diving board accident and that he lived his life to the fullest.
"I love you. ... You are a great man," Wallace said in his message to Krauthammer.
Williams said Krauthammer is still celebrating life today and his story is one of "tremendous personal courage and character."
Charles Krauthammer says he is losing his battle with cancer and has a few weeks to live. He is brilliant, wickedly funny, a force of nature despite his disabilities. I am heartbroken
— HowardKurtz (@HowardKurtz) June 8, 2018
Fox News just read a letter from @krauthammer saying he has only a few weeks left to live b/c of an aggressive cancer. He has been an amazing colleague and friend. He was brilliant, generous, kind and an inspiration to everyone who met him. Keep him and his family in your prayers
— Kirsten Powers (@KirstenPowers) June 8, 2018
I knew this was coming, but that doesn't lessen the agony of this announcement. Charles Krauthammer is one of the most brilliant, decent, humane, impressive people I have ever had the honor to know, never mind call a friend. I am heartbroken over this. https://t.co/DRC8YoFwN0
— Jonah Goldberg (@JonahNRO) June 8, 2018
Too many stories about people taking their lives. Here is a man who fought for life in the face of catastrophic tragedies. With the world's news, you can get the impression life is not worth living. Charles Krauthammer proves that wrong. Join me in prayers for him & his family.
— Tammy Bruce (@HeyTammyBruce) June 8, 2018
Beyond sad. Charles Krauthammer is simply the best political commentator in the business and a tremendous Pulitzer-winning writer as well. https://t.co/mUQ5TKcmdT
— Joe Concha (@JoeConchaTV) June 8, 2018
Charles Krauthammer is a monumental thinker who will go down in history as a key force in the revivification of philosophical and practical conservatism. This is absolutely tragic. https://t.co/bptHVyroED
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) June 8, 2018
To honor the life of @krauthammer, read "Marcel, My Brother." https://t.co/TSLEb4c5wJ
— Bill Hemmer (@BillHemmer) June 8, 2018
Oh no...
Fox News' Charles Krauthammer says goodbye to colleagues, friends and viewers
https://t.co/ew30oshmqT— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) June 8, 2018
This is heartbreaking news. Growing up, I loved hearing @Krauthammer's analysis. He is a great mind & his commentary was always so well-researched. Charles is an impressive individual w/ a truly extraordinary life. Let's lift him up in prayer! https://t.co/ANWVRuOExP
— Kayleigh McEnany (@kayleighmcenany) June 8, 2018
#CharlesKrauthammer thank you for teaching us all about “Things that Matter.” Perhaps life’s most important lesson. I always loved having you on and I am praying for you and thankful to you, for giving us wisdom and a meaningful lens on our world. Amen.
— Martha MacCallum (@marthamaccallum) June 8, 2018
In a statement, Rupert Murdoch said, "Charles has been a profound source of personal and intellectual inspiration for all of us at Fox News. His always principled stand on the most important issues of our time has been a guiding star in an often turbulent world, a world that has too many superficial thinkers vulnerable to the ebb and flow of fashion, and a world that, unfortunately, has only one Charles Krauthammer. His words, his ideas, his dignity and his integrity will resonate within our society and within me for many, many years to come."
Watch the discussion above.
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