N.J. Governor Undergoes Surgery to Remove Benign Cyst, Ovary

MORRISTOWN, N.J. — Gov. Christine Todd Whitman underwent surgery Friday to remove a benign ovarian cyst and her right ovary.

The cyst on the right ovary was the size of an orange, about five inches across, but there was no sign of malignancy, said Dr. J. Eric Christman, director of the center for women’s cancer at Morristown Memorial Hospital. He performed the operation with two other surgeons.

“She is wide-awake right now and probably watching all of you right now on TV--if this is on TV--critiquing what I’m saying,” Christman said.

The surgery was scheduled after the cyst was found during a routine exam about two weeks ago. The entire ovary was removed because “doctors believed it was in her best interest,” he said.

Whitman was to be discharged today, and planned to resume a light schedule Monday.

Whitman, 49, was elected governor in 1993. An up-and-coming star of the Republican Party, she was the GOP’s choice to rebut President Clinton’s State of the Union Address in January.