>> Cathy: SENATE MAJORITY LEADER KARI DZIEDZIC GRANTED A SMALL NUMBER OF INTERVIEWS WITH CAPITOL REPORTERS TO TALK ABOUT HER RECOVERY FROM CANCER SURGERY.

MARY LAHAMMER TALKED WITH SENATOR DZIEDZIC ABOUT HER CANCER TREATMENT AND ALSO DURING THE CONVERSATION THE SENATOR DISCUSSED THE BENEFITS OF RECENT SENATE RULE CHANGES THAT ALLOW LAWMAKERS TO VOTE REMOTELY WHEN REQUIRED.

>> FROM DAY ONE THE SESSION HAS BEEN A SPRINT SO A CANCER DIAGNOSIS FOR THE NEW SENATE MAJORITY LEADER WAS A SHOCK.

>> THEY FOUND A TUMOR SO THEN HAD TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THAT WAS AND HOW TO PROCEED.

BUT, YOU KNOW, GETTING YOUR COLONOSCOPIES, MAMMOGRAMS, YOUR PAP SMEARS, ALL OF THOSE TASKS I THINK ARE O IMPORTANT BECAUSE YOU TRULY DON'T KNOW.

I HAD NO SYMPTOMS, SO.

>> AND YOU WERE BUSY AND STRESSED.

THIS IS THE BIGGEST JOB OF YOUR LIFE.

>> YEAH, I WAS STRESSED BUT IT WAS A LOT OF FUN AND VERY BUSY AND VERY ACTIVE.

AND SO, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, I ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO JUST GET TESTED BECAUSE YOU JUST DON'T KNOW.

MINE IS OVARIAN CANCER AND THERE'S NOT A LOT OF SYMPTOMS AND PEOPLE DON'T CATCH IT EARLY.

>> SO HOW ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON WITH YOU MENTALLY AFTER GOING 100 MILES AN HOUR, SESSION WAS OFF TO THE BUSIEST START IN REALLY STATE HISTORY, OVER A DOZEN BILLS AND NOT LITTLE BILLS, MAJOR BILLS SIGNED INTO LAW.

YOU ARE LEADING A SLIM ONE-VOTE MAJORITY, A NEW JOB, JUST OING SO FAST AND SO HARD AND HEN THIS HITS.

WALK US THROUGH THAT, WHAT DOES THAT FEEL LIKE?

>> WELL, IT WAS A SHOCK.

BECAUSE, AGAIN, LIKE I SAID, I WAS FEELING FINE.

SO IT WAS A SHOCK AND THEN YOU JUST DEAL WITH IT, SO I JUST DEALT WITH IT LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE, JUST ONE DAY AT A TIME, ONE STEP FORWARD ASK JUST DEALT WITH IT.

AND, YOU KNOW, HAD THE SURGERY MONDAY BUT, YOU KNOW, ON THE PHONE AND VOTED THE NEXT DAY, YOU KNOW, YOU JUST -- >> REMOTE VOTING LIKE HOW IMPORTANT IN RETROSPECT WAS THAT POLICY OF ALLOWING REMOTE VOTINGVOTING AND NEW LEXIBLE WORK SCHEDULE THAT MANY OF US HAVE POST-PANDEMIC.

>> YEAH, I MEAN, I DIDN'T THINK MY SITUATION AT ALL IT WAS MORE WE HAVE A LOT OF YOUNG PARENTS AND THE MOST YOUNG PARENTS IN HISTORY IN THE SENATE AND I JUST THOUGHT PEOPLE JUST NEED TO HAVE FLEXIBILITY.

YOU KNOW, WE HAD ANOTHER MEMBER THAT WAS JUST OUT INJURED AND SO THEY WERE ABLE TO VOTE FROM HOME FOR A FEW WEEKS HERE SO I THINK IT IS HELPFUL.

>> SENATOR WESTROM.

>> REPUBLICAN SENATOR TORREY WESTROM RETURNED TO THE CAPITOL THIS WEEK AFTER BREAKING RIBS IN A SNOWMOBILE CCIDENT.

>> I WANT TO USE WHAT I'VE LEARNED IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS TO HELP US LEGISLATE WHEN WE COME TO OTHER BILLS DEALING WITH HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES AND SOME FUNDING.

BUT I'M NOT GOING TO GO INTO THAT TODAY.

BUT, MEMBERS, I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS AND YOUR CARE OVER THE TIME I WAS WORKING REMOTELY AND HEALING.

AND IT'S GREAT TO BE BACK HERE.

>> LAWMAKERS HAVE LONG HAD TO JUGGLE PERSONAL LIVES DURING THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION.

>> IN THE SENATE YOU REALLY ARE HAVE TO BE THERE TO VOTE.

THE HOUSE YOU MIGHT PRESS A VOTE.

-- >> NOBODY ELSE CAN PUSH YOUR BUTTON IN THE SENATE.

I HAD A C SECTION ON A FRIDAY AND CAME BACK TO WORK ON A MONDAY.

MY HUSBAND SUPPORTED ME, MY MOM WAS THERE, THE ENTIRE CAUCUS MADE IT POSSIBLE FOR ME TO HAVE MY DAUGHTER WITH ME BUT YOU STILL NEED SOME SELF-CARE AND I REMEMBER A WEDNESDAY NIGHT CAUCUS SOMEBODY TAPPING ME ON THE SHOULDER AND SAID YOU FELL ASLEEP, YOU HOULD MAYBE GO HOME.

I HOPE SOMEBODY'S LOOKING OUT FOR KARI THE WAY THEY LOOKED OUT FOR ME.

>> IT IS A FAMILY, WE GIVE GRACE AND DEFERENCE ON THINGS LIKE THAT.

I KNOW PEOPLE ARE STEPPING UP.

>> SO IT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE YOU'VE BEEN DOING A LOT OF RESTING AT HOME.

IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU'VE BEEN WORKING A LOT.

>> A LOT OF PHONE CALLS, BUT, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN REST AND DO PHONE CALLS AND PEOPLE HAVE BEEN VERY RESPECTFUL AND STAFF AND ASSISTANT LEADERS HAVE BEEN GREAT AND I GREATLY APPRECIATE THE NOTES FROM PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, MY CONSTITUENTS, A LOT OF ADVOCATES AND MEMBERS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE AND IN THE HOUSE.

AND IT'S TRULY BEEN A DAY BRIGHTENER TO GET NOTES FROM PEOPLE.

>> WE JUST DISCOVERED THIS WAS A REALLY BIG SURGERY.

THIS WAS FIVE HOURS, INVOLVED MULTIPLE PROCEDURES, CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THE CANCER DIAGNOSIS?

>> I HAD A HYSTERECTOMY, REMOVED THE SPLEEN, THE APPENDIX, THEY OPEN YOUR STOMACH MUSCLES FROM STERNUM ON DOWN AND I THINK THAT HAS BEEN THE BIGGEST ADJUSTMENT.

JUST EVEN SITTING HERE TODAY YOU FORGET HOW MUCH YOU'RE USING YOUR STOMACH AND BACK MUSCLES, THAT HAS BEEN A CHALLENGE.

>> THE PANDEMIC CREATED A TEMPLATE FOR REMOTE VOTING AND WORK GOING FORWARD, ALONG WITH BUILDING MOMENTUM AROUND ONE OF THE MORE DIFFICULT BILLS OF THE SESSION.

>> WHAT ABOUT PAID FAMILY LEAVE?

DOES IT MAKE THAT BILL WHICH IS STILL SLOW IN GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS KIND OF MORE IMPORTANT FOR YOU?

>> I'VE HAD A LOT OF PEOPLE TELL ME THAT, THAT THIS BILL IS IMPORTANT SHOWS HOW IMPORTANT PAID FAMILY LEAVE IS, THE DOCTORS SAID YOU SHOULD PROBABLY TAKE SIX WEEKS OFF, YOU NEED A DOCTOR'S NOTE?

AND I'M LIKE I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S GOING TO WORK, I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN TAKE SIX WEEKS OFF.

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