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Even Brain Cancer Isn't Stopping This Dedicated State Rep From Running For Reelection

Even Brain Cancer Isn't Stopping This Dedicated State Rep From Running For Reelection
By 

Politics Editor, The Huffington Post

Connecticut state Rep. Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, right, holds his 3-month-old son, Ryan, as he took the oath of office in the Hall of the House at the satte Capitol in Hartford, Conn., Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2003. At left is state Rep. Terry Backer, D-Stratford. (AP Photo/Bob Child)
Connecticut state Rep. Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, right, holds his 3-month-old son, Ryan, as he took the oath of office in the Hall of the House at the satte Capitol in Hartford, Conn., Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2003. At left is state Rep. Terry Backer, D-Stratford. (AP Photo/Bob Child)

Despite battling brain cancer for several years, Connecticut state Rep. Terry Backer (D) is forging ahead with a run for reelection in 2014.

In an interview with the Hartford Courant published Tuesday, Backer told the newspaper that his "papers are in."

“If I feel as good as I do now, onward we go," Backer said.

Backer faced the same decision in 2012, and moved forward with similar energy. A January 2012 Courant report said he first underwent surgery in October 2010 to remove a tumor.

"If I'm on my feet like I am today, and the good Lord keeps me here, I'm running," Backer told the Courant at the time.

Backer has served in the Connecticut State Legislature since 1993. Outside of that job, he has served as the Long Island Soundkeeper since 1987, protecting the body of water from pollution. Backer told the Courant in the Tuesday piece that this role has required heavy cell phone use dating back to when he started.

“I felt like I was living on the thing," he said. “My simple advice is don’t be a lab rat – don’t press it against your head."

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