Fight the good fight, Jack.

Jack Layton, leader of Canada's Opposition, announced today that he is suffering from a new cancer and will be stepping down.  His statement is here.  The announcement is especially poignant because I ran into him one day at Princess Margaret when I was there for chemo.  He had been sitting in a wheelchair pushed by his wife, Olivia Chow.  They looked grim.  

Jack's message today hits close to home.  You don't generally think of public figures as real people until you find out that they are being treated in the same hospital that you're in, and more than likely, trying to cope with the same thing that brought you there.  The big C-word brings everyone together.  Jack was supposed to be a survivor.  He had kicked his prostate cancer's ass and raised his party to Official Opposition status.  He was inspiration when I was going through chemo.  With nothing but time on my hands on the bad days, I tended to read up on public figures who had survived and thrived.  Jack came up often.

I have never subscribed to Jack's politics, but I have always respected him as a politician and feel that he is a genuinely nice guy standing up for what he believes in.  Now, he's down, and having gone through chemo with him as inspiration, the bad news seems very personal.  A comrade is down.

Fight the good fight, Jack.  People depend on you for more than politics.