Brain cancer isn’t keeping Seng away from Capitol

DES MOINES - As he settles in for another legislative session, Iowa Sen. Joe Seng said he is feeling 'pretty good” in his ongoing bout with brain cancer.

Seng, 69, a Democrat from Davenport, revealed his diagnosis in summer 2014, had surgery to remove a highly malignant brain tumor that October and returned to the Legislature last year.

The cancer has caused Seng to struggle to put his thoughts into words occasionally. But he has continued to work at his veterinary clinic in Davenport and was back at the Iowa Capitol last week for the start of this legislative session.

Seng even got married this past year to Mary Kresser, his legislative clerk.

'Everything's there. He just has, sometimes he has a hard time getting the words out, has to take a detour,” Kresser said. 'He's trying to have as much of a normal life as he can. He does pretty good.”

Seng undergoes treatments every two weeks. and Kresser said Seng's condition has been stable since May, when a change in medications seemed to improve his health.

'We're doing actually better than two years ago or a year ago,” Seng said. 'It's sort of ... it doesn't take much (to lose his thoughts), but it's getting better.”

Seng admits last year's session exacted a toll on him, but he kept his committee duties and at times regaled colleagues with accordion music during down time on the Senate floor.

Seng leads the Senate's Agriculture Committee and vice chairman of the Committee on Labor and Business Relations.

'It's great to have Joe Seng back for another session. He's doing much better, and we're happy he's making steady progress,” Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs, said in an emailed statement. 'All our senators love having Joe in our caucus and continuing to serve as chair of the agriculture committee.”

Seng has three years remaining on his Senate term.

'He's just going to take it a little bit at a time and see how he does,” Kresser said.