Former congressman Kemp battling unspecified cancer
Problem first showed itself as pain in his hip
As a Buffalo Bills quarterback and major figure on the national political stage, Jack F. Kemp has faced more than his share of tough situations.
But now the former secretary of housing and urban development and Republican congressman from Hamburg is confronting cancer, and what close friend Edward J. Rutkowski— the former Erie County executive — calls “the toughest challenge of his life.”
“He’s a fighter,” Rutkowski said Wednesday, “and he’s never backed away from a challenge, whether on the football field or in the political arena.”
Kemp, 73, disclosed Wednesday in a news release that he has cancer of an “undetermined” nature that will require further procedures to determine the best course of action. But several sources close to him describe the situation as “serious,” with one indicating the problem first manifested itself as pain in his hip.
“I understood he was complaining of hip pain, but they didn’t know if it was from too much tennis or getting banged around on the football field,” said Russ Gugino of Hamburg, a longtime Kemp associate and former congressional staffer.
Kemp’s current staffers and Rutkowski all emphasized that doctors have not yet fully identified the former congressman’s cancer and that many more diagnostic procedures lie ahead.
“Once they find out what’s causing this they will determine the proper protocol,” said Rutkowski, who spoke with his old friend earlier this week. “It will require further testing.”
But Rutkowski, a former Buffalo Bills teammate who also once served on Kemp’s congressional staff, added that the Bethesda, Md., resident is in “good hands” under the care of cancer specialists at Johns Hopkins University medical facilities in Baltimore.
The former county executive said Kemp is in good spirits, which he said personal experience has taught him (his daughter is a 27-year leukemia survivor) is important in fighting cancer.
“I feel confident that whatever protocol they determine will give him a heck of a shot at beating this thing,” Rutkowski said.
Gugino also cited Kemp’s attitude.
“His faith and his family are the two things he holds dearest, and they, along with his friends, will sustain him,” he said.
The news release issued by Kemp’s firm, Kemp Partners, indicated that he will continue as chairman of the company and in his various charitable and political roles as well. Following his unsuccessful run for vice president as former Sen. Bob Dole’s running mate in 1996, Kemp has devoted most of his time to his consulting firm.
He is also well known as a speaker on the national circuit and serves on various boards.
