Rep. Sarah Finger McDonald takes a moment to relax in her office in the Oregon Capitol in Salem on Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. (Laura Tesler/Oregon Capital Chronicle/Pool)
Rep. Sarah Finger McDonald is starting her first term in the state House as she undergoes treatment for colon cancer.
In an interview with the Capital Chronicle, McDonald said her colon cancer has returned a second time. McDonald said she found out from a blood test five days after her election that her colon cancer was no longer in remission.
Now, McDonald, 52, is undergoing chemotherapy, which will continue during the legislative session and she said she’ll continue to work from the state Capitol most days.
“This is something that was caught really early with a blood test, so I actually feel good — really good,” McDonald said. “But there will be days when I’m getting treatment and or I’m tired, where I may not be as available as people may think I should be. But that doesn’t mean I’m not getting the work done.”
In November, voters tapped McDonald, D-Corvallis, to replace Dan Rayfield, who was elected attorney general, in an open race.
On New Year’s Eve, McDonald answered emails from constituents while she was being treated in a chemotherapy clinic.
The statehouse is a new experience for McDonald, but juggling constituent work and cancer is not. In February 2021, McDonald was diagnosed for the first time. The cancer returned in November 2022 — also flagged in a blood test — and McDonald had a second round of treatments.
During that time, McDonald, then a Corvallis school board member, had 20 rounds of chemotherapy and continued to attend most board meetings.
“I’ve dealt with lots of obligations successfully before during treatment,” McDonald said.
Some remote work
Her chemotherapy treatment cycles are scheduled for one day every two weeks. On those days, McDonald said she plans to attend her committee meetings remotely in the morning before she is in the clinic.
“It’s not ideal, but we’ll make it work,” she said. “I’m committed to serving my district and getting the work done.”
McDonald’s cancer, occuring at a relatively young age, is a reminder that colon cancer can affect people under 50. McDonald was 48 when she was first diagnosed.
Her diagnosis came just several months before national health experts recommended colon cancer screenings for people at age 45 instead of 50, which was the previous recommendation.
Colon cancer is the second leading cancer-related cause of death, according to the American Cancer Society. The American Cancer Society estimates there were about 106,600 new cases of colon cancer in 2024. An estimated 53,000 people died from it in 2024 nationwide.
McDonald encourages people to get their screenings as recommended.
“If I’d had a colonoscopy at 45, my cancer journey might have looked very different, because we would have caught it earlier,” she said.
She said she chose to speak out publicly about her cancer in part so people are motivated to get screenings and to encourage people with the illness.
McDonald said that treatments are in a recliner and can take about five hours to complete. She said she plans to bring her laptop with her.
“Here I am, living with cancer, and life goes on,” she said.
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