Saying he's "focused on faith," Mecklenburg County Manager Harry Jones acknowledged Friday that he's being treated for pancreatic cancer.
Jones, 62, announced the illness in an email to county commissioners and staff. In December he said he'd begun undergoing treatment, but didn't specify the condition.
"I want to thank you for your prayers, thoughts and well wishes," he wrote. "The treatments for pancreatic cancer continue. I feel well and am working from the office regularly, as well as continuing to exercise and play golf."
In November, commissioners recognized Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month. The move came at the urging of Republican commissioner Neil Cooksey, who has recovered from the disease.
Jones told the Observer that faith is helping him keep a positive attitude.
"I believe God is a healing God," he said. "I don't believe you can have fear and faith simultaneously. So I'm focused on faith. And as I wake up every day, I count my blessings and not my troubles."
Pancreatic cancer is one of the nation's leading causes of death from cancer, killing about 37,000 people a year. Some estimates put the survival rate as low as 4 percent.
The disease has gained more attention in recent years with the deaths of Steve Jobs and actor Patrick Swayze.
Cooksey recounted details of his ordeal at a November church service.
It started, he said, with intense back pain, followed by digestive problems. All of which he attributed to stress. But in early 2010, a CAT scan revealed a malignant tumor in his pancreas.
He underwent more than eight hours of surgery to remove the tumor as well as his gallbladder and portions of his pancreas and lower intestine. Months of chemotherapy and radiation followed.
Jones, county manager since 2000, declined to divulge details of his diagnosis, asking people to respect his privacy.
"He looks very good," said board Chairman Harold Cogdell. "He looks like he's been responding well to the treatment."
Commissioner Jennifer Roberts applauded Jones' attitude.
"He's setting a very positive example for people that with a positive attitude you can really confront some very serious medical challenges."
Jones said he's still working, even if he has to cut some days short and work from home. In December he said if he had to take a leave of absence, General Manager Bobbie Shields would serve as acting county manager.
He said he and his wife Becky struggled with whether to make his diagnosis public.
"I just decided with my family it was appropriate to be open about what I'm enduring," he said, "and to let those individuals in this community who might be confronting a similar circumstance know that there's power in prayer and ... to focus on being healed...
"Been a fighter all my life. Not going to stop fighting now."
Staff writer Ann Doss Helms contributed.
