President David Granger has been diagnosed in Cuba with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and underwent surgery and began a second phase of treatment today, according to a statement from the Guyana Embassy in Havana, Cuba.
The statement said that the President is expected to make a full recovery under the supervision of his doctors.
According to the Mayo Clinic, Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is cancer that originates in the lymphatic system, the disease-fighting network spread throughout the body. In non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, tumours develop from lymphocytes — a type of white blood cell.
Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is more common than the other general type of lymphoma — Hodgkin lymphoma. Many different subtypes of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma exist. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and follicular lymphoma are among the most common subtypes.
Advances in diagnosis and treatment of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma have helped improve the prognosis for people with this disease.
The statement by the Guyana Embassy follows:
EMBASSY OF THE COOPERATIVE REPUBLIC OF GUYANA
The Embassy of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana in the Republic of Cuba wishes to make the following official Statement on the presence of His Excellency, Brigadier David Arthur Granger, President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, in the Republic of Cuba.
His Excellency, the President, arrived in Havana on Tuesday, October 30, initially, for a medical investigation which he deemed necessary because of an unusual physical discomfort. He was received by a Cuban Medical Team which commenced the first phase of medical examination.
Subsequent to a series of medical tests, the President was diagnosed as suffering from Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and was placed in the Centro de Investigaciones Medico Quirurgicas (CIMEQ) on Thursday, November 1, where he underwent a surgical procedure. On Tuesday, November 6, His Excellency, the President, was discharged from CIMEQ and returned to his official accommodation.
The President’s medical personnel has now begun the second phase of treatment today, Wednesday, November 14, 2018, and he is likely to be placed in CIMEQ for a short period of two to three days.
During this time, President has been working and resting in accordance with the advice he has been receiving from his doctors. He is in fine form and a good frame of mind. He is expected to fully recover under the supervision of his doctors.
His Excellency, the President, wishes to express his deep gratitude to Guyanese in the Homeland and in the Diaspora, to the various Prime Ministers and Presidents, to the CARICOM Diplomatic Caucus in Cuba, to his friends and colleagues, and all those who sent their best wishes for his full and complete recovery – and his speedy return to Guyana.
Above all, the President would like to publicly thank His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Cuba, the Government of Cuba, and the medical staff of CIMEQ for the special care and attention which he has received while in Havana – and, indeed, for the excellent facilities in which he is being accommodated.
The Embassy of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana in the Republic of Cuba will be issuing another Statement prior to the departure of His Excellency, the President, from Cuba.
Halim Majeed
Ambassador of Guyana to the Republic of Cuba