Congressman Norwood has, sadly, succumbed to the cancer he has been battling.

Rep. Charlie Norwood (R-Ga.) died Tuesday morning, a week after returning home to Augusta for hospice care.

Norwood, 65, waged a long battle with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a chronic lung disease. He underwent a single lung transplant in 2004, then developed lung cancer in his other lung while taking immune-response-suppression drugs to prevent his body from rejecting the new organ. The cancer spread to his liver late last year.

Norwood announced he was forgoing further treatment last week. One of his last acts as a congressman was to reintroduce the Norwood-Dingell Patient's Bill of Rights, legislation that put him at odds with the Bush administration and his own congressional leadership. Among other things, the bill would have allowed patients to sue HMOs that overruled doctors and refused to pay for recommended treatments.

Survivors include his wife of 42 years, the former Gloria Wilkinson ; two grown sons, Charles and Carlton; and four grandchildren.

Norwood's office will announce memorial plans later.

Under Georgia law, the governor must, within 10 days of the death of a member of Congress, send a writ to the Secretary of State's office asking for a non-partisan special election to choose a replacement. The election can be held no earlier than 30 days later.

May his family be comforted in this time of loss.

Posted by: Greg at 12:56 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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