03.17.2014: Dr. Natalie Stavas discusses cases similar to the case of Mayor Tom Menino.
BOSTON (MyFoxBoston.com) -- Former Boston Mayor Tom Menino is fighting an advanced form of cancer, but he says this is a battle he is going to win.
The longtime mayor revealed his diagnosis over the weekend. His doctors discovered it in February when he went to see them for weakness in his legs.
The cancer is reportedly at an advanced stage and as metastasized, but it is unclear where it originated.
This is the latest in a string of health issues for the 71-year-old. In 2003, he underwent surgery to remove a rare sarcoma from his back. The following year, he was diagnosed with Crohn's disease.
In 2012, Menino spent six weeks in the hospital, where he suffered a compression fracture in his spine and was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
Menino says his six grandchildren are the best reasons to beat cancer. He plans to be hard at work while he undergoes treatment at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The city's longest serving mayor planned on being in his office at Boston University bright and early Monday morning.
Officials at Boston University echoed the message of confidence in Menino that many city officials shared earlier in the weekend. President Robert A. Brown told BU Today he knows Menino, who is currently serving as co-director of the school's Initiative on Cities, will take on this challenge with the same "optimism and steadfast resolution" displayed throughout his career.
Menino's predecessor in City Hall released a statement Saturday night that expressed the city's support for their former mayor in his fight.
"I've never known Tom Menino to back down from a fight, and I don't expect him to start now," said Mayor Marty Walsh. "Mayor Menino has always been here for the people of Boston, and we're behind him today, 100-percent. Our thoughts and prayers are with him, Angela, their family and many friends."
State Senator Linda Dorcena Forry also dedicated the annual St. Patrick's Day Breakfast to Mayor Menino on Sunday.
