Tulsi Gabbard has delivered the update countless supporters had been praying to hear.
Her husband, Abraham Williams, is now cancer free after surgery for an exceptionally rare bone tumor, though his recovery remains demanding.
The former director of national intelligence shared the news in an emotional video posted Thursday on X.
Gabbard explained that doctors believe the operation successfully removed the cancerous bone and surrounding tissue.
“A few weeks after the surgery was done, the pathologist and the doctors said that they are confident that they were able to cut out all of the cancerous bone and tissue,” Gabbard said in the video.
Williams has since entered a rigorous physical therapy program nearly three months after the procedure.
Recovery has tested his patience as well as his physical strength.
Gabbard said her husband wants to regain his mobility faster, sometimes pushing himself beyond what his body is ready to handle.
“He gets frustrated a lot because he wants to be able to make progress faster, and sometimes he’s pushed a little bit too far, but overall, Abraham is progressing very well,” Gabbard said.
“The reality is that the battle isn’t over yet.”
Williams was diagnosed earlier this year with sacral chordoma, a rare and slow growing cancerous tumor that forms in the sacrum.
The sacrum is the triangular bone located at the base of the spine, just above the tailbone.
“Earlier this year, my husband Abraham was diagnosed with cancer,” Gabbard said.
“I picked up the phone, and Abraham’s voice was different. He said that he got a call from his doctor, and the doctor told him that he has sacral chordoma, very, very rare , one in a million type of cancer.”
After weighing treatment options, the couple chose surgery instead of radiation.
Williams remained under heavy anesthesia for nearly eight hours as surgeons performed the difficult operation.
Gabbard said the period immediately following surgery was especially punishing because his body reacted badly to the drugs.
“His body, as he started to come out, started reacting to the drugs that were in his body,” she said. “It was tough.”
Even while becoming sick as he tried to walk, Williams kept forcing himself to take a few steps with assistance from nurses.
He also refused narcotic pain medication, choosing to endure the intense postoperative pain without it.
The surgery brought encouraging results, but doctors will continue watching closely for any return of the cancer.
Gabbard said Williams will need frequent magnetic resonance imaging scans to determine whether the disease reappears in the original location or spreads elsewhere.
The health crisis prompted Gabbard to resign from President Donald Trump’s administration in May so she could support her husband through treatment and recovery.
She officially departed the Cabinet at the end of June, putting family and faith ahead of Washington status.
Predictably, some Democratic officials and media personalities attempted to politicize her departure even as the couple confronted a frightening diagnosis.
Critics including Adam Schiff and Nira Tanden drew condemnation for turning a family health emergency into another excuse for partisan attacks, proving that Washington’s outrage machine apparently never takes a day off.
Gabbard instead focused her message on gratitude, faith, and the medical professionals who cared for Williams.
“We are so grateful to God for His unconditional love, for being our shelter, for being our peace and our strength,” she said.
She also thanked the doctors, surgeon, pathologist, anesthesiologist, nurses, and supporters who sent prayers and kind messages. Williams then joined her on camera, and the couple shared a close embrace that conveyed more than another polished political speech ever could.
“This has been a challenging time for us and is hard to talk about,” Gabbard wrote on X.
“But so many of you have reached out asking how he’s doing, and sharing your prayers and well wishes with us.”
WATCH:
The hopeful report marks a major victory in Williams’ fight, though the couple knows continued monitoring and rehabilitation lie ahead.
For now, they are celebrating successful surgery, steady progress, and the prayers of Americans who stood with them when partisan Washington chose cheap shots instead.
