Former Boston Mayor Menino vows to beat cancer diagnosis

Former longtime Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino, 71, has been diagnosed with an advanced form of cancer, according to local media reports.

Doctors don’t know the origin of the cancer, which has invaded Menino’s liver and lymph nodes, the Boston Globe reported.

Menino was mayor of Boston for 20 years. He retired this year after a series of health woes hobbled him while still in office, none of which were reported as cancer-related.

In one dramatic moment last year, a wheelchair-bound Menino improbably rose to his feet to address thousands of mourners during an interfaith service after the Boston Marathon bombings.

Menino has put on a similarly resilient face following his diagnosis, which came in February. He had his first round of chemotherapy early this month.

“I’m not going anywhere. You know, this is one of those hurdles I have to go over, and I’ve done it before, and I’ll do it again,” Menino told WCVB-TV outside his home Sunday morning before he headed to Mass.

Later that day, he appeared at an indoor farmers market in Dorchester, where about 100 attendees burst into applause when he arrived, the Globe reported.

Menino has told local media that his biggest drive to survive comes from a desire to see his six grandchildren grow up.

“What else can you do?” he told the Globe of his upbeat attitude. “What I don’t want is people feeling sorry for me. I don’t want sympathy. There are people worse off than me. It’s my biggest concern — I don’t want to be treated any differently.”

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