Pritchard Will Battle Cancer Again Lt. Governor Has Lymph Cancer, Says His Lifestyle Won’t Change

Lt. Gov. Joel Pritchard said Friday he has lymph cancer of the neck and will begin chemotherapy next week.

It is Pritchard’s second bout with cancer. He conquered lymphoma of the groin 11 years ago.

“The doctors don’t know if this new cancer is something that’s been dormant or if it’s a fresh one. They just ordered chemotherapy,” Pritchard said.

Pritchard, who looks years younger than his age of 70, said he’s benefiting from advanced technology.

“When I had cancer before, chemotherapy treatments lasted 9-1/2 months. This new series will last only four months,” he said.

He said he feels well and doesn’t intend to change his lifestyle. “I’ll still be in the office and play tennis three times a week,” he said.

Pritchard, who presides over the Senate, runs a tight ship - with firmness when needed and lots of good humor.

Pritchard, who is serving his sec ond term as lieutenant governor, also is looking toward the future.

“I’ll probably announce next February whether I’ll run again,” he said.

Pritchard is a moderate-to-liberal in the mold of former Republican Gov. Dan Evans. He earned that label during 12 years in Congress.

Asked about his bipartisan image in an earlier interview, he shrugged and said with a grin, “Most of the time the delegation was eight (Democrats) and one (Republican) when I was in the House. When you’re the one, who wants to start a brawl?”

When Pritchard returned to Olympia as lieutenant governor in 1988, it was a homecoming and the cap to a long public-service career. The grandson of Washington settlers, he served in the state House from 1959 to 1967 and four years in the Senate.

Pritchard was elected to Congress from the Seattle-area 1st District in 1972, and was handily re-elected five times. He stepped down after his self-imposed 12-year limit.