Keller @ Large: Menino Upbeat And Determined To Beat Cancer
BOSTON (CBS) – A warm welcome awaited former Mayor Tom Menino at a Dorchester farmer's market Sunday, the kind of neighborhood event he grew to love attending during 20 years as mayor.
But while his plans for many more suffered an unexpected setback with the cancer diagnosis last month, today Menino was resolute and upbeat.
"I believe in myself and I believe in my doctors and I believe in my faith," Menino said. "I believe I have the ability to beat it back, I've beaten other things back and I'll beat this one. I'm a fighter. I'm not gonna sit in my house and read books and watch television."
And according to the well-wishers at this event, Menino won't be fighting this battle alone.
"Even in the last few years you could see how he fought through to stay on as mayor. He'll rise to the challenge and with the community supporting him I think he'll be able to beat this."
"That's what different about Boston vs. any other major city in the country," the former mayor remarked. "We all know each other, we all care about each other. When something happens to somebody else, we all rally. Look at what happened after the marathon bombing, we all rallied then."
After all the bad health breaks he's had some people might feel sorry for themselves. But not Menino.
"No, no, I'm the luckiest guy in America," he said.
Many of the patients who receive life-saving treatment at the Boston Medical Center have Tom Menino in large part to thank for it. Now it's Menino who needs their support in his life-and-death health struggle.
Share your thoughts: Send a message to former Boston Mayor Tom Menino as he battles cancer.
You can listen to Keller At Large on WBZ News Radio every weekday at 7:55 a.m. You can also watch Jon on WBZ-TV News.
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