Former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said doctors are confident surgery removed all cancerous bone and tissue from her husband Abraham Williams, who is now undergoing intensive rehabilitation while being monitored for a possible recurrence of his rare sacral chordoma.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Former Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard shared an emotional update Thursday on her husband Abraham Williams’ recovery from an extremely rare form of bone cancer, saying physicians believe surgeons successfully removed all of the cancerous tissue during an operation nearly three months ago.
Williams was diagnosed earlier this year with sacral chordoma, a rare, slow-growing malignant bone tumor that develops in the sacrum, the triangular bone at the base of the spine above the tailbone.
Gabbard described the diagnosis, surgery and difficult recovery in a three-minute video posted to X, saying Williams is making progress through an intensive physical therapy program but will require continued monitoring for signs that the cancer has returned.
“A few weeks after the surgery was done, the pathologist and the doctors said that they are confident that they were able to cut out all of the cancerous bone and tissue,” Gabbard said. “So here we are now, almost three months after, and he started a very rigorous physical therapy program.”
Gabbard said Williams has struggled at times with the pace of his rehabilitation because he wants to recover more quickly.
“He gets frustrated a lot because he wants to be able to make progress faster, and sometimes he’s pushed a little bit too far, but overall, Abraham is progressing very well,” she said. “The reality is that the battle isn’t over yet.”
The health crisis led Gabbard to announce in May that she would resign as President Donald Trump’s director of national intelligence so she could devote her attention to her husband’s cancer treatment. She formally left Trump’s Cabinet at the end of June.
In Thursday’s video, Gabbard described the moment she first learned of Williams’ diagnosis.
“Earlier this year, my husband Abraham was diagnosed with cancer,” she said. “I picked up the phone, and Abraham’s voice was different. He said that he got a call from his doctor, and the doctor told him that he has sacral chordoma, very, very rare, one in a million type of cancer.”
After considering the available treatment options, Gabbard said they chose surgery rather than radiation.
The operation required Williams to remain under heavy anesthesia for nearly eight hours. Gabbard said the immediate aftermath was physically difficult as his body reacted to the medications administered during the procedure.
“His body, as he started to come out, started reacting to the drugs that were in his body,” she said. “It was tough.”
Despite the complications, Williams began attempting to move shortly after surgery.
“So that night, more than a few times, Abraham said, ‘I want to get up.’ He had some help from some great nurses to just start very, very slowly walking around,” Gabbard recalled. “He would take a few steps. He would throw up as he was trying to walk around, but he kept going.”
Gabbard said her husband also chose not to use narcotic medication to control his postoperative pain.
Abraham “refused to take any narcotic pain medication,” she said, “so he really had to push through the post-operative pain.”
Nearly three months later, Gabbard said Williams is progressing well in rehabilitation. Doctors currently believe all of the cancerous bone and tissue was removed, but his treatment does not end with the successful surgery.
Because chordoma can recur, Williams will continue undergoing imaging to watch for new tumors.
“You’ll have to continue to get frequent MRIs to keep an eye on whether or not this cancer is coming back either in the same place or in other parts of his body,” Gabbard said.
Gabbard characterized Williams as currently cancer free based on the surgical and pathology findings, while emphasizing that continued surveillance remains necessary.
She also thanked the medical professionals who treated him and the people who have sent messages and prayers to the couple throughout the ordeal.
“We are so grateful to God for His unconditional love, for being our shelter, for being our peace and our strength,” Gabbard said.
“We want to say thank you to the doctors, the surgeon, the pathologist, the anesthesiologist. We want say thank to all of you sharing the most beautiful prayers and well wishes with us. Mahalo nui loa to you all.”
Williams then joined Gabbard on camera and embraced her.
“Love you, darlin’,” he said.
“I love you,” Gabbard replied.
In the message accompanying the video, Gabbard acknowledged the difficulty of speaking publicly about what the couple has experienced.
“This has been a challenging time for us and is hard to talk about,” Gabbard wrote on X. “But so many of you have reached out asking how he’s doing, and sharing your prayers and well wishes with us.
“We made this video to share a little about what this journey has been like, and to update you on his recovery. Mahalo for all of the love and support.”
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