TRAVERSE CITY — State Rep. Betsy Coffia announced she is recovering after undergoing surgery to address a recurrence of a benign brain tumor and to remove a rare form of cancer.
Coffia, who represents the 103rd House District, said she was diagnosed this spring with the return of the tumor first removed in 2020.
More recently, she was diagnosed with stage one cancer unrelated to the tumor. She said both conditions carry a positive prognosis.
“While it is thankfully not back to the level of 2020, it still required medical intervention,” Coffia said.
On Aug. 12, Coffia underwent inpatient surgery at the University of Michigan Hospital to remove both the tumor and the cancer. She said advances in medical technology since her previous craniotomy allowed for a more targeted and localized procedure.
In an Aug. 13 Facebook post, Coffia said the surgery went smoothly and her doctors have told her she is recovering positively.
“My doctors tell me I am on a good path to heal,” Coiffis said. “Per doctor’s orders, I’ll be taking some time to rest and heal after my stay at the hospital. While I may not be as visible in the State House and in the community here in northern Michigan, my dedicated legislative team is keeping things moving to serve constituents in my absence.”
Coffia said she looks forward to returning to work in full capacity and remains committed to advocating for access to quality health care and scientific research.
“Thank you to my medical team for handling this with the greatest care, and to all my loved ones who are providing support during this uncertain time,” Coffia said. “I love Northern Michigan and its residents and I’ll never stop fighting for you. You’d better believe I will work even harder to support scientific research that allowed surgeries like mine, and fight like hell for access to quality healthcare for ALL, because that is what we deserve.”