"Hamilton Jordan's battle with cancer began 22 years ago,
when he was diagnosed with diffuse histiocytic lymphoma,
followed by bouts with melanoma and prostate cancer." He had
been treated over the past 20 years for six types of cancer.
In August 2006, Jordan underwent surgery for a rare viral
infection that resulted in significant accumulation of fluid
around his heart; then his system/s started shutting down.
Hamilton Jordan signed up to serve in the military in
Vietnam but was rejected & was classified 4-F, medically
ineligible for the service, because of flat feet / leg
problems. Instead, he joined International Voluntary
Service, a refugee relocation agency and worked nearly a
year in Vietnam before blackwater fever sent him home. He
later believed that exposure to the defoliant Agent Orange
in Vietnam had precipitated his bouts with cancer.
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He was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in 1984;
he said he thought exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam led
to the affliction. The cancer went into remission after five
months of chemotherapy. In 1990, he battled skin cancer and
then prostate cancer four years later. Mr. Jordan leaves his
wife of 26 years, Dorothy Henry Jordan, and three children,
Hamilton Jr., Kathleen, and Alex.
Carter White House
Chief of Staff Hamilton Jordan died May 20, 2008. He wrote
about his battle with cancer for The Post's Outlook section
on Jan. 26, 1986.
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