Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has undergone surgery to remove one of the lobes of her lung after doctors found cancerous nodules, according to a statement from the Supreme Court.
“According to the thoracic surgeon Valerie Rusch, both nodules removed during surgery were found to be malignant on initial pathology evaluation. Post-surgery, there was no evidence of any remaining disease. Scans performed before surgery indicated no evidence of disease elsewhere in the body. Currently, no further treatment is planned. Justice Ginsburg is resting comfortably and is expected to remain in the hospital for a few days,” the statement read.
The cancer was found after Ginsburg fell in November, fracturing three ribs.
Predictably, liberal Twitter users were jarred by the news.
Some have offered organ transplants.
https://twitter.com/DRCG_/status/1076182477377437696
Do you need lungs RBG take my lungs I don’t need lungs PLEASE TAKE MY LUNGS https://t.co/cTamqHaHKB
— Patti Murin (@PattiMurin) December 21, 2018
that sound you hear is millions of people ripping their chests open to give RBG one of their lungs
— Ellie Hall (@ellievhall) December 21, 2018
https://twitter.com/KatCalvinLA/status/1076172109515153408
I live in NYC. Does she need a lung? I can be right over.
— Tina (@girlinseattle) December 21, 2018
https://twitter.com/ManInTheHoody/status/1076170971524919296
Others just freaked out.
I can't even. pic.twitter.com/Na2nu9ImR4
— Kelly Reagan 🟧 (@Klreagan73) December 21, 2018
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
— Libbi Hill (@HillLibbi) December 21, 2018
Dammit, 2018, NO. You cannot have Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
— RyujinZero🐀 (@RyujinZero) December 21, 2018
No no nononono.
— Kathy Christopherson (@kachristo) December 21, 2018
CAN.
NOT.
DEAL.
Plenty of conservatives chimed in with well-wishes, despite political disagreements.
Any conservatives out there who, unlike this conservative, obscenely wish ill on Ruth Bader Ginsburg, just think for a moment what her good friend Antonin Scalia would be praying for right now if he were still alive. #JusticeGinsburg
— Robert Chapman (@RRochapman) December 21, 2018
Get well soon, RBG. As a conservative Christian, I usually disagree with your judicial decisions, but for the same reasons, I will be praying for your swift recovery.
— Causing Cancer in CA ¯_(ツ)_/¯ (@Musichemistitch) December 21, 2018
I don't care which side of the political spectrum you're on, if you wish ill upon Ruth Bader Ginsburg, you're a piece of shit.
— Rock (@TheMichaelRock) December 21, 2018
Ginsburg has twice beaten cancer; in 1999 she was diagnosed with colorectal cancer, and in 2009, pancreatic cancer. Ginsburg’s prognosis is good, barring complications from surgery or lymph node involvement. If the cancer has affected the lymph nodes, Ginsburg’s chances of being cancer-free five years down the road drop from 80 percent to as low as 40 percent, according to cancer specialists who spoke with NPR.
Even if she remains cancer-free, Ginsburg is 85 years old. Although she has said she has no intention to step down, her time on the bench is limited. If she retires in the next two years, President Donald Trump is certain to appoint a conservative justice in the mold of Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, which is why so many liberals panic at news like this.