DES MOINES, Iowa — First Gentleman of Iowa Kevin Reynolds has been diagnosed with lung cancer, the governor's office said in a release Thursday.
Kevin, the husband of Gov. Kim Reynolds, is from Osceola. The two married in 1982.
Gov. Reynolds issued the following statement:
“We’re grateful to the incredible medical team caring for Kevin. Our doctor has assured us that significant advancements in lung cancer treatment have been very effective and we have every reason to be optimistic. We are confident in our team as we begin treatment, and we will beat this together.
Kevin has been my anchor throughout our 41 years of marriage, and I will be the same for him as he begins treatment. We are blessed to be surrounded by a loving family and a community of prayer warriors. We know God is with us on this journey.”
Kevin Reynolds is the first to hold the title of First Gentleman in state history.
Local 5 spoke with an oncologist to help us all understand the severity of lung cancer.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) nearly nine out of 10 lung cancers are caused by smoking cigarettes. But for those who do not smoke, Dr. Neil Horning says people can still get diagnosed with lung cancer.
"There are a number of people who can develop lung cancer who have never smoked before, and it may be something in the environment that they were exposed to," he explained. "It's sometimes for reasons that we don't understand yet."
Different people have different symptoms for lung cancer, but most don't develop those symptoms until the cancer becomes advanced.
"Our best chance for curing lung cancer is to catch it early," Horning explained. "Often time that can be with lung cancer screening and lung cancer screening is an incredibly important program for people who are at increased risk for lung cancer."
Local 5's spoke with Reynolds' office Thursday morning, and said they are still not ready to share the stage of lung cancer the first gentleman was diagnosed with, and when his first treatment day will be.