Napolitano on mend after mastectomy

By Robbie Sherwood

July 27, 2000 Web posted at: 10:37 AM EDT (1437 GMT)

PHOENIX, Arizona (The Arizona Republic Online) -- Arizona Attorney General Janet Napolitano, recently diagnosed with breast cancer, has undergone a successful mastectomy.

A surgeon removed Napolitano's right breast Tuesday and believes no further treatment, such as radiation or chemotherapy, is needed, Martha Harmon, Napolitano's spokeswoman, said Wednesday.

"The doctor said he was able to remove all the cancer," Harmon said. "She is recuperating very well."

Harmon did not say in which Valley hospital Napolitano was staying but did say the attorney general will return home by this weekend. Napolitano, 42, will work from home; however, her top assistants, Dennis Burke and Tim Delaney, will take on some additional responsibilities, Harmon said.

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Former state Rep. Leslie Whiting Johnson does not know Napolitano but knows what she's going through. Johnson, who underwent a lumpectomy during the legislative session of 1994, was glad to hear Napolitano was eager to return to work, although many doctors advise against added stress during cancer recovery.

"My doctor was against it, but it was a real help to me to have someplace to go, to have to slap on some makeup, a smile and, in my case, a wig and go do something positive," Johnson said. "In my case, and I would guess in her case as well, that nurturing environment of having so many caring friends and colleagues is a positive influence."

Gov. Jane Hull, who met with Napolitano on Monday, also wished her a speedy recovery.

"When we were meeting with her, no one would have ever known she was heading into surgery," said Francie Noyes, Hull's spokeswoman. "She was her typical outgoing self. We are all very optimistic because the reports are the surgery was very successful."

Napolitano's cancer was discovered early, which is the key to beating it, said Melissa Marshall of the Arizona Cancer Society. One of every eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during her lifetime; 2,800 will be diagnosed in Arizona this year alone.

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