VALLEY CITY, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) The following is a statement from North Dakota Representative Dwight Kiefert concerning his health issues and his decision to participate remotely during the past Legislative Session.

“It has been brought to my attention that there is some inaccurate information being circulated regarding my decision to participate remotely during the 2021 Legislative Session. I am only sharing this so you can understand my decision.

Firstly, every legislator had the option to participate in person or remotely. If you tested positive for covid-19 you were required to participate remotely.

My decision to participate remotely was set in motion in December of 2018 when I was diagnosed with prostate cancer and was scheduled for surgery as soon as possible. This turned out to be the first week of the 2019 session. This typically is accomplished with just an overnight stay in the hospital. The day after surgery I developed a fever which was not a good sign. Apparently, they had perforated my colon during surgery which resulted in no food or water intake for close to two weeks and treated with antibiotics. It seemed to heal up and I was able to return to Bismarck and continue my responsibilities.

I also have been living with acute diverticulitis for more than thirty years which probably contributed to this issue. During the fall of 2019 I started getting sick, apparently the damaged bowel ruptured, and I was scheduled for emergency surgery. This surgery resulted with them attaching a colostomy bag. After several months they were going to remove the colostomy bag hoping it was healed up. Unfortunately, they ended up removing ten inches of my colon and attaching what is called an ileostomy bag on the opposite side of my stomach which I again wore for several months. We were now in the 2020 election cycle. They finally removed the ileostomy bag in the fall of 2020 and were able to reattach everything and thank God everything works again as normal. I was told by my doctor to do my best to avoid getting covid-19 because all the surgeries have left me with a very compromised immune system. To date everything seems to be going well.

It’s rather unfortunate that some would try to use my illness against me. During the 2021 session I attended every committee meeting, presented several bills, and voted on every bill. I appreciated the opportunity to participate remotely, for me it could have been a matter of life or death. I’m looking forward to continuing representing you in the future.”

Representative Dwight Kiefert