Quick Take
Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley was diagnosed with bladder cancer in July 2023. One year of treatments later, he said he is officially cancer-free. The 74-year-old mayor didn’t miss a single Tuesday city council meeting over the course of his treatment and recovery.
Since last summer, Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley has undergone regular and grueling treatment to contain cancer that doctors found on his bladder last July.
After an appointment last Thursday, doctors told Keeley, 74, they believed the cancer had been successfully eliminated.
“They told me there are no signs of any cancer,” Keeley told Lookout on Wednesday.
In July 2023, the mayor announced that doctors had found a cancerous tumor on his bladder. In August, he had the tumor surgically removed. Regimented treatments followed: once every four weeks, and then eventually once every two months. Keeley estimated that since August 2023, he’s undergone 20 treatments.
During that time, Keeley never missed a Tuesday city council meeting. He said that was, in part, due to scheduling.
“I tried to schedule my treatments on Thursdays so that, by Tuesday, I’d be good for city council meetings,” Keeley said. “Once in a while I’d feel rocky. It was a small price to pay.”
Keeley said doctors will check up on him in six months.
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