In addition to announcing he will be stepping down as the Mayor of Emporia, longtime Emporia City Commissioner Danny Giefer made another announcement Tuesday afternoon, he is currently battling cancer.
A joint news release from Giefer and the City of Emporia states Giefer submitted a notice wishing to vacate his role as mayor effective Wednesday. Giefer tells KVOE News his decision comes five weeks after he was diagnosed with Leiomyosarcoma.
Giefer is currently in his third term on the commission and says he wanted to see that commitment through.
Vice-Mayor Susan Brinkman will now assume the role of mayor with a new vice-mayor to be elected during the commission’s upcoming action session Wednesday.
The National Cancer Institute says leiomyosarcoma grows in what are called the body’s smooth muscles, mostly found in the hollow organs like the intestines, stomach, bladder and blood vessels. It affects six per million people in the United States and can be treated by chemotherapy, radiation, surgery or a chemo-surgery combination. Prognosis depends in part on the tumor’s location or size and whether it has metastasized or spread to other parts of the body.
*Click here for more information on leiomyosarcoma from the National Cancer Institute.
