NY Gov Kathy Hochul warns others to get cancer screenings after diagnosis for ‘tiny speck’ on nose
New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Thursday said she has been diagnosed with skin cancer and is scheduled to undergo a removal procedure this week.
The governor told reporters that her doctor discovered basal cell carcinoma on her nose during a routine checkup a few weeks ago, describing it as a ‘tiny, tiny speck on my nose.’
Hochul, 66, said she is set to have a removal procedure on Friday morning.
Basal cell carcinoma is among the most common types of skin cancer. It is highly curable, especially when it is caught early.
It is a slow-growing cancer that is usually confined to the surface of skin. Doctors often remove it with a shallow incision.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Thursday said she has been diagnosed with skin cancer and is scheduled to undergo a removal procedure this week
Basal cell carcinoma is among the most common types of skin cancer. It is highly curable, especially when it is caught early. It is a slow-growing cancer that is usually confined to the surface of skin. Doctors often remove it with a shallow incision
Hochul urged people to get regular medical checkups.
‘A tiny, tiny speck on my nose, you can’t even see it,’ Hochul described it, saying she’s having it removed Friday out of an ‘excess of precaution’.
The surgery is such that the patients are often able to get it done and return home the same day, something Hochul is hoping for.
‘I’ll be out of commission for about an hour or two tomorrow morning,’ she said.
The Democrat did say that she will return to her regular duties with ‘a bandage on my nose’.
Hochul has recently been mired in scandal after a former employee was arrested for allegedly being a Chinese spy.
Linda Sun, who held numerous posts under both governors Andrew Cuomo and Hochul between 2012 and 2023, was arrested last week along with her husband, Chris Hu, at their $4 million mansion on Long Island.
Prosecutors say Sun secretly worked to promote the CCP’s interests in NY, particularly when it came to Taiwan, which the CCP considers to be part of China. She is accused of blocking representatives of the Taiwanese government and even attending a protest against the Taiwanese president in NYC in 2018.
Hochul has recently been mired in scandal after a former employee was arrested for allegedly being a Chinese spy
Linda Sun (pictured center), who held numerous posts under both governors Andrew Cuomo and Kathy Hochul between 2012 and 2023, was arrested Tuesday morning along with her husband, Chris Hu, at their $4 million mansion on Long Island
In 2020, Sun texted a Chinese official saying: ‘I almost had a heart attack when we referred to Taiwan as a country. Thankfully I had the press team correct it immediately.’
In 2021, when Cuomo was still governor, Chinese officials requested a Lunar New Year video from him. Sun said Hochul, then lieutenant governor, could probably do it and asked for ‘talking points of things you want her to mention.’
‘Mostly holiday wishes and hope for friendship and cooperation / Nothing too political,’ an official told her, according to the indictment.
Sun later told a different official that she had argued with Hochul’s speechwriter over the draft, because the speechwriter insisted on mentioning the ‘Uyghur situation’ in China. She promised that she wouldn’t let that happen, and the final speech did not mention the Muslim ethnic minority or the persecution they face in China, according to the indictment.
In September 2021 she was appointed as the deputy chief of staff for Hochul, according to her LinkedIn profile. She remained on the role for about 15 months.
Sun and Hu pleaded not guilty during an initial court appearance on September 4 in Brooklyn and were released on bond. Sun has been barred from having any contact with the People’s Republic of China’s consulate and mission.
Her defense lawyer, Jarrod Schaeffer, said, ‘We’re looking forward to addressing these charges in court. Our client is understandably upset that these charges have been brought.’
In a statement, a spokesperson for Hochul’s office said the administration fired Sun after ‘discovering evidence of misconduct.’
‘This individual was hired by the Executive Chamber more than a decade ago. We terminated her employment in March 2023 after discovering evidence of misconduct, immediately reported her actions to law enforcement and have assisted law enforcement throughout this process,’ the statement reads.