Former Boston mayor Tom Menino has cancer: reports

[March 17, 2014]  BOSTON (Reuters) — The longest-serving mayor in Boston history, who stepped down early this year after 20 years in office, has been diagnosed with an advanced form of cancer, the Boston Globe reported on Sunday.

Tom Menino, 71, told the newspaper that the cancer has spread to his liver and lymph nodes.

"It's very simple. I was diagnosed," said Menino, who now teaches at Boston University. "I've got treatment coming. I believe I'll get through it. And I'll be at work Monday morning."

The news drew an outpouring of support from local leaders, including Menino's successor and fellow Democrat Marty Walsh.

"I've never known Tom Menino to back down form a fight, and I don't expect him to start now," Walsh said. "Our thoughts and prayers are with him."

Menino could not be reached for comment on Sunday.

Menino took office at a tough time for Boston and much of urban America, facing high crime rates and neighborhoods that were struggling economically. He oversaw a resurgence of the city, with crime rates falling and influx of technology investment revitalizing the local economy.

He told voters in March 2013 that he planned to retire, after falling ill on a European vacation, which left him hospitalized for several weeks. His last year in office was a traumatic one for the city, with the Boston Marathon bombing attack killing three people and injuring 264.

(Reporting by Scott Malone; editing by Rosalind Russell)

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