Rep. Mo Brooks, R-Ala., said Wednesday he has been diagnosed with high-risk prostate cancer and credited his loss in the Republican primary for the Alabama Senate with saving his life.
The Alabama congressman revealed the diagnosis in an emotional speech on the House floor, during which he said he had to explain why he would be missing votes in the lower chamber.
Brooks said he will be having a prostatectomy Friday and will spend next week recovering in Alabama unless he is medically cleared to travel.
“God works in mysterious ways,” Brooks said. “When you are an elected official, missed votes require an explanation. That’s why I disclose this very personal, very private and very humbling matter.”