US ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman Jr. reveals he has stage 1 cancer - nine months after he lost his father to the deadly disease
- US Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman Jr. revealed he has skin cancer
- Earlier this year, the politician learned of the diagnosis, which is stage 1
- 58-year-old lost his father, Jon Huntsman Sr., to the deadly disease in February
- Huntsman Jr. learned of the diagnosis at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, the center his dad founded
United States Ambassador to Russia Jon Hunstman Jr. revealed he is battling stage 1 skin cancer.
The 58-year-old diplomat confirmed the melanoma diagnosis to Salt Lake City-based newspaper, The Deseret News.
Huntsman Jr. said in a September interview published Thursday: 'It's just stage 1... so we'll probably get it taken care of, and we'll be fine.'
His father, billionaire industrialist and philanthropist, Jon Huntsman Sr., passed away in February from the deadly disease.
United States Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman Jr. (pictured September 21 in Moscow, Russia) revealed he is battling stage 1 skin cancer
Jon Huntsman Jr., right, and his father, Jon Huntsman Sr., tour the State Capitol in Salt Lake City in January 2008. Huntsman Jr. lost his father to cancer in February
Huntsman Jr. said he initially noticed two small mole discolorations - one behind his ear and another, on his thigh.
He visited the Salt Lake City Huntsman Cancer Institute, founded in 1995 by his father, to get the spots checked out.
Huntsman Sr., who also lost both of his parents to the disease, has donated more than $400million to oncology research.
The family as a whole has given away more than $1.4billion for philanthropic purposes, including funding to the cancer institute.
The former Utah governor said in the interview he recently underwent a several-hour long surgery to treat the malignant moles.
He will be required to get regular check-ups over the course of the next several months.
'It kind of puts things in perspective,' Huntsman Jr. added.
Huntsman Jr. assumed his position as ambassador to Russia in October 2017. He served as the United States Ambassador to China during Obama's term.
Huntsman Jr. learned of the cancer diagnosis at the Salt Lake City Huntsman Cancer Institute, (pictured) founded in 1995 by his father
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