Hargis gets good news from docs

• Relay for Life survivor lap

Woodbury Mayor Bill Hargis said last week he received good news from doctors who are monitoring his health after his cancerous prostate was removed last summer. Hargis made his cancer diagnosis public during the Woodbury Relay for Life event last June.

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Woodbury Mayor Bill Hargis received some good news from doctors last week.

Hargis, who underwent surgery last August to remove a cancerous prostate, was told by doctors that the prostate-specific antigen in his blood is non-detectable.

That’s good sign that he is cancer free, Hargis said.

Hargis hasn’t been shy about his recent health situation, as he announced last June he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

The mayor made the announcement to the public at the annual Woodbury Relay for Life, a rally to raise funds to fight cancer.

Often, participants at the Relay for Life to share their personal testimony in their fight against cancer.

At the annual event, Hargis generally makes a proclamation of support on behalf of the city. He said he felt it was the appropriate setting to tell the public his news that, by coincidence, he found out days earlier.

Hargis returned to his mayoral duties about a month after his surgery, and since then has been getting radiation therapy to kill any remaining cancerous cells.

He has also been getting regular checkups to monitor his recovery, while working in his full capacity as mayor. He’s also spent time in the gym to lose weight, upon doctor recommendations.

“I am still recovering from the side-effects of the radiation but each day is better,” Hargis wrote in an e-mail last week.

Hargis said he will continue follow-up visits with oncologists to monitor his recovery, but believes he will be nearly 100-percent back to full health in March.

Tags: news, woodbury, cancer, hargis, prostate