Civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis announces he has stage IV pancreatic cancer

Civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) announced Sunday that he has been diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer. He's proclaimed that he intends to fight it as he's battled so many things in his life, but the prognosis isn't good, reported CNN.

"I have been in some kind of fight -- for freedom, equality, basic human rights -- for nearly my entire life. I have never faced a fight quite like the one I have now," Lewis said in a statement.

"This month in a routine medical visit, and subsequent tests, doctors discovered Stage IV pancreatic cancer. This diagnosis has been reconfirmed," he said.

"While I am clear-eyed about the prognosis, doctors have told me that recent medical advances have made this type of cancer treatable in many cases, that treatment options are no longer as debilitating as they once were, and that I have a fighting chance," he went on