This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2007, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Fevers, coughs and sneezes are common each legislative session as lawmakers debate bills in cramped quarters and shake the hands of hundreds.
At least six legislators had pneumonia when the session closed at the end of February.
Sen. Ed Mayne, D-West Valley City, was one of them.
Good thing, too.
Doctors treating Mayne for pneumonia discovered a cancerous mass in his right lung. He received the diagnosis at the end of March, early enough to give him a chance at recovery.
Since then, he has undergone aggressive rounds of chemotherapy, shaved his head and found a new cause to champion.
Mayne is a union leader and a Senate veteran known for pushing legislation to bolster workers' rights, hike the minimum wage and increase regulations on payday loans. Not popular issues with the Republican majority.
Now he ends every speech, whether it is to a bunch of school children or an employees' group, with a message about cancer.
He said it is his duty as a public official.
"Shame on me if I don't try to do something to help with early detection, early intervention, early treatment," said Mayne, just a few hours after starting his fourth chemotherapy cycle.
When the devastating drugs started to take his hair, Mayne made the most of it.
The theme from "Rocky" blared from the speakers at the Kearns High School football field. Mayne wore boxing gloves and in front of a crowd gathered for the Taste of Kearns neighborhood celebration, smiled as a woman shaved what little hair he had left.
A week later he linked up with the Salt Lake County Sheriffs Association to host a fundraiser for the Wellness House. And he also is planning an event to raise money for the Utah Cancer Foundation later this year.
Mayne remains upbeat and continues to work, even more than his doctors and some family members would like.
He said he tries to keep a full schedule, which has not been too difficult because he has not experienced many of the standard side effects of chemo, such as nausea and pain. He gets a little tired by the end of the week, which forced him to miss the Hunter High School graduation for the first time in years. And his taste buds are dull.
He also continues working for another reason.
"You don't dwell on things when you are raising a little hell," he jokes.
But Mayne can't raise hell 24 hours a day.
"There are those times late at night when the lights are out and you can't sleep. You just think. You think about life and what you want to accomplish," he said. "I still have a lot more to do."
He draws strength from two sources - his family and the comments of well-wishers.
His 84-year-old mother, his sisters and his wife go with him to chemotherapy sessions and doctor's visits. They ask the questions that he forgets to ask. They make sure he is following the recommendations of his doctors.
"I don't dare not beat this. The cancer is nothing compared to their wrath," he said.
Mayne's wife, Karen, tries to keep things in perspective.
"Many people have gone through this before. The disease is the same. The reactions of the family are the same," she said.
They have friends who tell them about their own cancer survival stories.
"This is a battle we are not fighting alone," she said, "and I think that is the key to this."
Mayne estimates he also has received more than 400 e-mails, cards and phone calls from voters, fellow politicians and friends.
"Some of it is humorous and some of it just makes you cry," he said.
Senators he may constantly squabble with have stopped to give him a hug.
Senate Majority Leader Curtis Bramble, who is a friend of Mayne's, said the Senate might be a partisan caldron at times, but its members are more like "siblings that fight."
They may squabble, but they are protective of each other, too.
Mayne has not missed any legislative meetings and he doesn't plan to.
Senate Minority Leader Mike Dmitrich said other than a little fatigue, "you can hardly tell anything is wrong with him."
Dmitrich would know. He was diagnosed with a different form of lung cancer two years ago. He had his right lung removed and has had no setbacks since.
Mayne's cancer is not operable, but his doctors believe the chemotherapy is working. A body scan shows the mass has started to shrink and Mayne is hopeful that it will be in full remission by the time the Legislature's general session begins again in January.