U.S. Senate candidate and Bluejay Rising’s co-founder Zach Shrewsbury announced he has been diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, but vowed to remain in the race and continue fighting for the people of West Virginia. After nearly ten months of severe leg and back pain, initially misdiagnosed as a sciatic nerve issue, further tests revealed a tumor that had eaten through his femur, causing it to break. Shrewsbury underwent surgery to stabilize the bone and will have a second operation in December to restore full function.
He has already begun monthly chemotherapy treatments that will continue into 2026 and reports no side effects that hinder daily life or campaigning. His doctors have given him an excellent prognosis for a full cure. “The tumor was caught early. The prognosis is very good,” Shrewsbury said. “The road ahead will be hard, full of treatment, pain, and recovery, but I am bound and determined to beat this. I will beat this cancer.”
“This isn’t the end of anything,” Shrewsbury said. “It’s just another fight, and fighting for what’s right is what I’ve always done. I’ve fought through poverty, through war, through every kind of hardship you can imagine, and I’m still here. Cancer won’t change that. It only reminds me why I’m in this race, to make sure working people in this state never have to fight alone.”
Shrewsbury emphasized that neither his diagnosis nor treatment will stop his campaign or the Bluejay Rising movement. “I am not dropping out of the race,” he declared. “Our mission and our fight for the people of West Virginia go on. Together, we will beat fascism and ensure that this state has leaders who’ve lived the same struggles we have.” Calling on others to stay engaged, he added, “If I can face cancer head-on, then we can all face the challenges before us. No retreat. No surrender. Not from cancer. Not from tyranny. Not ever.”