85-Year-Old Ruth Bader Ginsburg Was Released From The Hospital After Successful Tumor Removal Surgery

Not even cancer can slow down 85-year-old Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the oldest sitting member of the nation’s high court. The justice underwent extensive surgery just last week to remove two malignant nodules on her left lung. The surgery, called a pulmonary lobectomy, went successfully according to doctors at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. With the tumors removed, Ginsburg is officially cancer free, according to the Washington Post.

Ginsburg has had more than a few health scares through the years but has remarkably powered through all of them. Her resilency along with her powerful presence in the courtroom has earned her the nickname “Notorious RBG.” Even while receiving exhausting treatments for colorectal and pancreatic cancer, she continued to awe the world in the courtroom. The tough justice later received a heart stent to improve blood flow and was once again back at work immediately following the operation. Just last month Ginsburg took a rough fall and sustained multiple rib fractures. Doctors now say that those fractured ribs could have saved her life. It was while receiving treatment for that injury that her doctors were able to find the cancer on her lung that might have otherwise gone unnoticed. Had it not been caught when it did, Ginsburg would have had a much lower chance of recovery.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg Released from the Hospital and Recovering at Home Days After Lung Surgery https://t.co/wDCRff3OHo

— People (@people) December 26, 2018

As one of only four liberals in the nine-member Supreme Court, Democrats were relieved to hear of her most recent recovery. President Trump has long opposed the justice, even calling for her resignation in the 2016 presidential campaign. “Justice Ginsburg of the U.S. Supreme Court has embarrassed all by making very dumb political statements about me. Her mind is shot – resign,” Trump tweeted.

Despite Trump’s pleas, Ginsburg has no plans to give up her seat anytime soon. Currently, she is well above the average retirement age of the 11 justices that came before her. However, the justice knows that giving up her seat will likely mean she’ll be replaced by a conservative. Therefore, she will continue to serve until she is no longer physically able. “As long as I can do the job full steam, I will do it,” she said publicly last year.

The SCOTUS public information office released the following statement following Ginsburg’s surgery. “Scans performed before the surgery show no evidence of disease elsewhere in the body. Currently, no further treatment is planned.” The justice is now resting comfortably at home and plans to return to work as soon as possible.