Rush Limbaugh Announces Lung Cancer Diagnosis

Nationally syndicated talk show host Rush Limbaugh announced on Monday that he has been diagnosed with advanced lung cancer.

The lung cancer diagnosis was confirmed last month. Limbaugh will be off from his show on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. He's expected back on Thursday, February 6th.

During Thursday's show, Limbaugh is expected to provide an update concerning his health.

The 69-year-old Limbaugh has hosted his nationally syndicated show since 1988. The show, which airs from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. CT on KFYO in Lubbock, KYYW in Abilene, and throughout the nation, is the highest-rated talk show on radio.

Here is a portion of Rush's announcement in which he revealed the lung cancer diagnosis:

RUSH LIMBAUGH- HOUR 3, SEGMENT 4, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2020: "Ladies and gentlemen, this… This day has been one of the most difficult days in recent memory for me because I’ve known this moment was coming in the program today. Now, I’m sure that you all know by now, I really don’t like talking about myself, and I don’t like making things about me other than in the usual satirical, parodic, joking way.

"I like this program to be about you and the things that matter to all of us. The one thing that I know that has happened over the 31-plus years of this program is that there has been an incredible bond that has developed between all of you and me. Now, this program’s 31 years old, and in that 31 years, there are people — you hear them call all the time — who have been listening the whole time. They’ve been listening 30 years or 25 years.

"I just had somebody say they’ve been here three years. But, whatever, it is a family-type relationship to me, and I’ve mentioned to you that this program and this job is what has provided me the greatest satisfaction and happiness that I’ve ever experienced, more than I ever thought that I would experience. So I have to tell you something today that I wish I didn’t have to tell you.

"It’s a struggle for me because I had to inform my staff earlier today. I can’t escape… Even though people are telling me it’s not the way to look at it, I can’t help but feel that I’m letting everybody down with this. But the upshot is that I have been diagnosed with advanced lung cancer, diagnosis confirmed by two medical institutions back on January 20th. I first realized something was wrong on my birthday weekend, January 12th.

"I wish I didn’t have to tell you this, and I thought about not telling anybody. I thought about trying to do this without anybody knowing, ’cause I don’t like making things about me. But there are going to be days that I’m not gonna be able to be here because I’m undergoing treatment or I’m reacting to treatment, and I know that that would inspire all kinds of curiosity with people wondering what’s going on.

"And the worst thing that can happen is when there is something going on and you try to hide it and cover it up. It’s eventually gonna leak, and then people are gonna say, “Why didn’t you just say it? Why’d you try to fool everybody? ” It’s not that I want to fool anybody. It’s just that I don’t want to burden anybody with it, and I haven’t wanted to. But it is what it is. You know me; I’m the mayor of Realville.

"So this has happened, and my intention is to come here every day I can and to do this program as normally and as competently and as expertly as I do each and every day, because that is the source of my greatest satisfaction professionally, personally. I’ve had so much support from family and friends during this that it’s just been tremendous. I told the staff today that I have a deeply personal relationship with God that I do not proselytize about," Limbaugh said.

Read the rest of the transcript of Rush's comments at RushLimbaugh.com