In a recent interview, former Lloyd Supervisor Paul Hansut spoke about the status of his stage four Pancreatic cancer and his following treatments. A diagnosis was made in October 2019 and he chose not to run for re-election in order to concentrate on his health.

Hansut began a regime of chemotherapy on December 5, 2019.
“It’s been about 14 months and I’m doing pretty well,” he said, adding that most people do not survive very long with a stage 4 diagnosis.

Hansut started his treatments at Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Westchester County and is now at CareMount Medial Center in Poughkeepsie, with doctors from both centers carefully monitoring his progress. He said for three days after a treatment “I’m wiped out” but bounces back the following week.

“I had CAT scans last week and they are pleased with what they see [and] there is no new cancer,” he said. “Right now we’re putting up a good fight and we seem to be doing alright.”

Hansut receives treatments twice a month.

“It seems to be working and I’ve gained about 25 pounds back that I had lost. I’m feeling good and I’m keeping it positive,” he said. “I’ve got a tremendous support system who I call my prayer warriors and they keep praying for me.”

Hansut said his tumor shrunk after he began treatments but after experiencing fevers he had to have his gall bladder removed in July.
“That slowed the whole process down because I couldn’t do chemo for about 7 weeks. It kind of backed me up a little bit,” he said.
Hansut said this holiday season was like no other.

“We celebrated the holidays in my house and I had to wear a mask as well as my wife and the kids. It was just a very bizarre thing to have to do,” he said.

Hansut suspects that he may have to have follow up chemotherapy treatments for the rest of his life. For the past year he has been receiving the strongest chemotherapy available.

“The hardest part for me is that I was always there helping people and now with covid and the crisis, I can’t help anybody. I’m very thankful to the community and I pray every day. Even after a year people still reach out and call me and many people are praying for me. We get a lot of support no matter where we go.”

Hansut and his wife Gina post ongoing information for the community on Facebook under their names.