Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego, announced on Twitter Saturday that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer.
"Breast Cancer: just another hater trying to kill my vibe. Not. Going. To. Happen,'' she tweeted at 9:30 a.m. Saturday.
Gonzalez, who represents the 80th California Assembly District, has served as chair of the Assembly Appropriations Committee since 2016 and was the first Latina in California history to hold the position.
She is married to San Diego County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher, who followed her Twitter announcement with a series of tweets detailing her diagnosis and expressing support for "the strongest and most fearless person I have ever met.''
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"We have spent the last few weeks going through biopsy, MRIs and meetings with doctors and experts to assess the situation and begin the work to design a treatment plan,'' Fletcher tweeted. "But she will get through this. The cancer is early (stage 0) and she a great medical team (thank you @sharphealthcare), loving family and tremendously supportive friends,'' the supervisor continued.
"But it is also aggressive and hormone-positive ... and given her family history, she will have to have aggressive treatment,'' he said. "Her mom developed breast cancer at age 44 and died at age 62. ... She has no symptoms, feels great and plans to fulfill all her obligations to her constituents."
"More than a quarter of a million American women will be diagnosed with breast cancer each year,'' Fletcher continued. "My wife now joins their collective spirit of resilience to fight this horrific disease and will soon proudly join the ranks of breast cancer survivors."
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"She is our Wonder Woman and certainly knows how to fight,'' Fletcher said. "Feel free to send her your best wishes and prayers and we will keep you updated as we move forward.''
Before being in elected office, Gonzalez was a labor leader and organizer, serving as the first woman and first person of color to be elected CEO and secretary-treasurer for the San Diego and Imperial Counties Labor Council.
She was raised by a single mother, who was a nurse. Her father immigrated to California from Mexico and initially worked in the strawberry fields in North San Diego County.
Gonzalez is a graduate of Stanford University, has a master's degree from Georgetown University and a law degree from UCLA.
