NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP, abc24.com) - State Rep. Curry Todd has told a House committee that he has a form of incurable cancer.
The Collierville Republican informed colleagues about his condition during a House Commerce Committee hearing on Tuesday about a proposal to require insurance companies to pay for oral chemotherapy treatments.
The bill sponsored by Republican Rep. Glen Casada of Franklin is opposed by Gov. Bill Haslam and the insurance industry on the basis that it creates a government mandate.
Todd later told reporters that he has a form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma and that his disclosure was not meant to draw any sympathy for himself but rather to encourage passage of the bill to help cancer patients.
Todd declined comment on whether his diagnosis will affect pending drunken driving and gun charges against him, deeming questions on the matter "inappropriate."
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
