Posted on 02/03/2026 5:58:38 AM PST by MtnClimber
Notes In Absentia
I want again to thank everyone for the wonderful expressions of concern and reassurance that I have received from listeners and readers.
In response to inquiries, and some quite detailed questions and advice, here is a brief update concerning my current temporary absence.
As I wrote, the removal of a cancerous lung mucinous adenoma carcinoma along with the lower right lung lobe roughly a month ago was successful.
But a post-op aneurism/bleed soon developed. That required a quick second reentry operation into the lung to stop the hemorrhaging—adding considerable time under anesthesia and requiring about five blood transfusions.
As a result, over the last 30 days, I developed low red blood counts, fatigue, and bouts of arterial fibrillation. All that has sort of slowed my recovery.
This type of nonsmoker’s lung cancer has a rare genetic/mutation profile. And it seems to recur about 40% of the time in the general lung area—even when, as in my case, the removed and biopsied lymph nodes, along with adjacent vascular/pleural samples, were all negative.
And the pre-op PET scan shows no signs of malignancy outside the lower right lung lobe.
Chemotherapy and immunotherapy are said to be not particularly effective against this rare sort of tumor mutation. But they can offer a 5%-10% edge in stopping recurrence.
So I’ll do a cost-benefit analysis, depending on how quickly I regain energy, to determine whether to start the preventative drug regimens.
The bottom line is that I’m hoping to come back as soon as possible. But I don’t know exactly when I’ll be back to near normal.
In the meantime, I hope to post things now and then on days when I feel better.
Sincerely—and again thanks to everyone!
Victor Davis Hanson
Not good, Hopefully it can be monitored and identified early if it recurs.
Man, I hope he returns with renewed vigor and health. We have lost Rush and Charlie Kirk. VDH, has the academic knowledge that doesn’t replace these guys, but underscores their talents. We don’t want to lose his voice at this particular time.
>> Prayers up for a truly great American.
Your voice of reason is surely missed. Praying for recovery and peace to return to his life - and soon.
That is a very serious operation. That he is is alive a month later is slightly good news. A friend’s dad had a similar surgery about a decade ago. If my memory serves me correctly he never woke up from the surgery. His dad was about 10 years older than VDH when he had the surgery...
Dr. Hanson is not only a brilliant man he is a man of outstanding integrity and calm wisdom.
There are very few people I respect and damn few I admire. Dr. Hanson is one of the few men who have earned both and whom I also trust. He is in the class of some of the greatest men of our time and all time; Paul Harvey, Rush Limbaugh and Will Rogers.
LORD, have mercy on him and restore his health, in the mighty Name of Jesus.
He’s from California’s Central Valley - the air has some of the highest particulate counts in the entire nation.
I have family there - two died of COPD - non-smokers, two more have Parkinson’s (early 70s). One told me “Bakersfield is the Parkinson’s capital.”
“Bakersfield, California, is often referred to as the ‘Parkinson’s capital due to its exceptionally high incidence of Parkinson’s disease, a phenomenon dubbed ‘Parkinson’s Alley’ by neurologists. This 300-mile stretch of Central Valley farm towns between Bakersfield and Sacramento has been linked to significantly elevated rates of the disease, particularly among residents under age 60.”
Indeed, very sad. Remember this well about Rush (who was a smoker, had quit cigarettes years before but smoke cigars).
Get well soon, Victor! He is such a national treasure.
Best wishes for the man. He’s going to need a lot of luck.
Don’t rush, take yr time.....and may the Good Lord smile down upon you.
Thanks for posting this update on his health situation. He’s a precious well of brilliant commentary, insights and wisdom. A genuine conservative hero. I wish him a speedy recovery.
Our Country is blessed by having Victor Davis Hanson’s wisdom!
He is a treasure, sadly not appreciated by some.
Pray for his recovery.
Time to douche. Your stink is a horror.
VDH: JOHN WAYNE LIVED 15 MORE EARS AFTER HIS LUNG SURGERY——HANG IN THERE—_WE NEED YOU.
Regards,
Just despicable! Deserves no place here at Free Republic!
Regards to rlmorel and BatGuano.
Delta 21, I was kind of hoping that you didn’t mean that in the way it came out and I just took it the wrong way. I have had discourse with you before in the past, I am pretty sure, from our interactions that you would not have normally responded like that.
Normally, in these circumstances, people say to people like VDH something along the lines of “Perhaps it is time for you to attend to other things in you life with your family and concentrate less on your work” or something like that, and you just answered it without realizing that it sounded disrespectful.
Of course, if you did mean it that way, we can leave it at that and disagree on it, but I wanted to give you the opportunity in case you didn’t mean it that way.
You encapsulated my respect for him perfectly. Well said.
Good to hear! Keep up the great recovery.
Nah, I was just ragging on VDH. He was over the edge with TDS for about a week on youtube. I couldn’t take it any more. He was acting stupidly so I threw him in the box.
Now he’s battling lung cancer making me look bad on the internet.👍
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