Aurora Mayor Tom Weisner successfully underwent surgery to remove a cancerous growth from his colon Thursday morning at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, officials said.
Weisner will remain in the hospital for a few days, then will work from home for several weeks while recovering, said city spokeswoman Carie Anne Ergo in a news release.
“He’s doing great and is in great spirits,” Ergo said Thursday evening. “He just called, checking on how things went [in the city] today.”
The growth was first detected a little over a week ago during a routine annual physical, the statement said, and Weisner decided Tuesday to have it removed. Doctors were able to remove it entirely on Thursday.
“There were no complications, minimal blood loss and he was stable throughout the procedure,” said Weisner’s gastrointestinal surgeon, Steven Stryker, in a news release.
Weisner, 57, was elected in 2005. Senior staff members will handle day-to-day operations while he is recovering and Mayor Pro Tem Mike Saville will oversee City Council meetings.
Before his surgery, Weisner released the following statement: “I want everyone to know that I appreciate your thoughts and prayers. After my initial diagnosis, all the tests have come back very, very positive. My doctors are telling me we caught this early and we have every reason to believe that I will be back to work in no time.”
