Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) has spoken out for the first time about her breast cancer diagnosis earlier this year. In a post on Medium, the former presidential hopeful said she was diagnosed with Stage 1A breast cancer in February after some small white spots were discovered during a routine mammogram. The senator said she underwent a lumpectomy on her right breast, followed by a course of radiation therapy in May. “After additional follow-up visits, it was determined in August that the treatment went well,” she wrote. “Of course this has been scary at times, since cancer is the word all of us fear, but at this point my doctors believe that my chances of developing cancer again are no greater than the average person.” She added that her experience was particularly distressing because her surgery and radiation “coincided with my dad’s illness and death.” The senator concluded: “I hope my experience is a reminder for everyone of the value of routine health checkups, exams, and follow-through.”