John Ward Ready for Next Step in Battle with Esophageal Cancer

Longtime state legislator and current Baxter City Council Member John Ward has been battling esophageal cancer since July. This also comes on top of a need for heart bypass surgery.

Since the diagnosis, it’s been a combination of chemotherapy and radiation.

“25 rounds of radiation Monday through Friday, and I had one day of chemo every week,” Ward said.

Ward returned to Baxter last week where doctors have instructed him to rest, eat, and drink fluids. The next step in Ward’s recovery is to prepare for surgery.

“It’s called esophagectomy,” said Ward. “What they are doing is taking out my whole esophagus and some of my stomach, creating a new esophagus with the rest of my stomach, pulling that up through the diaphragm, and reconnecting it.”

Ward says he cannot thank all of the support he’s getting from prayers, cards, and phone calls. The next step in the process is a PET scan on October 20 to determine a surgery date.