Legenday investor and philanthropist Warren Buffet has a form of non life-threatening cancer, his company Berkshire Hathaway said today.
Berkshire released a letter from Buffet, a hero to many not just for his money-making abilities but for his simple personal life and philanthropy, to the shareholders of Hathaway, in which the 81-year-old reassures his well-wishers that he is ok.
“This is to let you know that I have been diagnosed with stage I prostate cancer. The good news is that I’ve been told by my doctors that my condition is not remotely life-threatening or even debilitating in any meaningful way,” he said.
“I feel great — as if I were in my normal excellent health — and my energy level is 100 percent. I discovered the cancer because my PSA level (an indicator my doctors had regularly checked for many years) recently jumped beyond its normal elevation and a biopsy seemed warranted,” he added.
“I received my diagnosis last Wednesday. I then had a CAT scan and a bone scan on Thursday, followed by an MRI today. These tests showed no incidence of cancer elsewhere in my body. My doctors and I have decided on a two-month treatment of daily radiation to begin in mid-July. This regimen will restrict my travel during that period, but will not otherwise change my daily routine,” Buffet said.
Buffet, known for his down-to-earth nature, also brought in his typical realism in the note.
“I will let shareholders know immediately should my health situation change. Eventually, of course, it will; but I believe that day is a long way off,” he said.
