CANCER BATTLE

Ex-Toronto Mayor Ford in Palliative Care

Chief of staff confirms.

Former Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is in palliative care after battling a rare cancer over the last two years, his chief of staff said Monday. Dan Jacobs revealed last week the 46-year-old was not responding to chemotherapy treatment after cancer that first appeared in his abdomen had reappeared in his bladder last year. “The purpose of palliative care is to deal with symptomatic issues, such as pain and discomfort, and physical and mental stress,” Jacobs said in a statement. Ford, who now serves on Toronto’s city council, came into the spotlight in 2013 after he admitted to crack cocaine use and public drunkenness, prompting lawmakers to strip him of some of his mayoral powers. Ford dropped his bid for a second term as mayor after announcing he had a rare form of cancer called liposarcoma.