Some things go beyond politics.
Often they strike without warning and show no mercy.
And Ben Sasse got devastating news that left JD Vance praying.
Former Senator reveals terminal diagnosis days before Christmas
Former Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse dropped a bombshell on social media that nobody saw coming.
The 53-year-old announced he was diagnosed with stage-four pancreatic cancer and bluntly told followers "I am gonna die."
"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," Sasse wrote on X.¹
Sasse called the diagnosis "a death sentence" but added a philosophical note that "I already had a death sentence before last week too — we all do."
The timing couldn't be worse for the father of three.
His wife Melissa has been battling epilepsy and other health issues that forced Sasse to step down as president of the University of Florida in July 2024.
Now he's fighting for his life while trying to care for his ailing wife and raise a 13-year-old daughter.
"This is hard for someone wired to work and build, but harder still as a husband and a dad," Sasse wrote. "There's not a good time to tell your peeps you're now marching to the beat of a faster drummer — but the season of advent isn't the worst."²
Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest diagnoses
Sasse's prognosis is grim.
Pancreatic cancer accounts for just 3% of all new cancer cases in the United States but is the third leading cause of cancer deaths.
Doctors at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute explain that 80% or more of pancreatic cancer patients present with advanced disease at the time of diagnosis.³
That means doctors know at the time they discover it that they're "very unlikely to be able to cure the cancer."
The disease is projected to become the second leading cause of cancer deaths by the end of this decade.
Finding pancreatic cancer early could help increase survival chances but there's currently no recommended blood test to catch early pancreatic cancers.
By the time patients show symptoms the cancer has usually already spread throughout the body.
Sasse vowed he won't go down without a fight and pointed to advances in immunotherapy as giving him hope.
"I'll have more to say. I'm not going down without a fight," Sasse wrote. "One sub-part of God's grace is found in the jawdropping advances science has made the past few years in immunotherapy and more. Death and dying aren't the same — the process of dying is still something to be lived."⁴
Political foes put differences aside to pray for Sasse
Vice President JD Vance was among the first to respond to Sasse's devastating announcement.
"I'm very sorry to hear this Ben. May God bless you and your family," Vance wrote on X.⁵
That's remarkable considering Sasse and Vance come from opposite ends of the Republican Party.
Sasse was one of seven Republican senators who voted to convict President Donald Trump during his second impeachment trial after the January 6 Capitol riot.
He became a leading voice of the Never Trump movement during the 2016 election and refused to endorse Trump.
Sasse later called politics "the weird worship of one dude" when the Nebraska GOP rebuked him for his impeachment vote.⁶
Trump fired back by calling Sasse a "grandstanding, little-respected senator" during a 2022 rally.
The Nebraska Republican Party even considered censuring Sasse for his lack of support for Trump.
Despite voting with Trump's position 84.8% of the time Sasse drew constant fire from MAGA supporters who viewed him as disloyal.
But none of that matters now when a man is facing death.
Senator Pete Ricketts who succeeded Sasse in the Senate said "I am heartbroken to hear of Ben's pancreatic cancer diagnosis. Ben's friendship is a blessing, and I am grateful for all he has done for our country."⁷
Even Democrats offered prayers and support.
Former Florida State Representative Allison Tant wrote "Praying for your strength and peace."
Sasse ended his announcement by quoting the prophet Isaiah about the hope of Christmas.
"As a Christian, the weeks running up to Christmas are a time to orient our hearts toward the hope of what's to come," Sasse wrote. "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned….For to us a son is given."⁸
Sasse's diagnosis is a stark reminder that life is fragile and tomorrow is never guaranteed.
Political differences don't mean a damn thing when cancer comes knocking at your door.
¹ Alex Nitzberg, "Former GOP Sen. Ben Sasse reveals stage-4 cancer diagnosis: 'It's a death sentence,'" Fox News, December 23, 2025.
² Ibid.
³ Jacqueline Howard, "Former Sen. Ben Sasse announces he has stage 4 pancreatic cancer and is 'gonna die,'" CNN, December 23, 2025.
⁴ Nitzberg, Fox News.
⁵ Ibid.
⁶ Manu Raju and Lauren Fox, "Ben Sasse blasts party for 'weird worship of one dude' after Nebraska GOP rebukes him for impeachment vote," CNN, February 27, 2021.
⁷ Juan Salinas II, "Former U.S. Sen. Ben Sasse announces terminal stage-four cancer diagnosis," Nebraska Examiner, December 23, 2025.
⁸ Nitzberg, Fox News.
