North Carolina congressman on indefinite leave for surgery

Surgery for a base of skull tumor will cause an indefinite leave from the U.S. House of Representatives for North Carolina Republican Dr. Greg Murphy.

In a late-afternoon release on Tuesday, he said, “The prognosis is excellent, and I hope to be back to work full-time soon. I am, as are all things, in the hands of God and am at absolute peace. I appreciate your thoughts and prayers and hope everyone understands our desire for privacy at this time."

The release did not say how long he expects to be away.

Murphy, a practicing urologist, serves eastern North Carolina in an area that stretches from the Outer Banks south to the Topsail Sound area inclusive of Holly Ridge. It goes inland to the areas of Lenoir, Wayne and Sampson counties as far west as Autryville, Gray’s Mill and Plain View just to the east of Dunn and Fayetteville.

Murphy said, “After a series of tests and scans, I have been diagnosed with a base of skull tumor called a pituitary macroadenoma. It is thought to be a benign tumor, however, given its size and location, and its subsequent ability to affect vital structures in the brain, I am scheduled to have it surgically removed. As every patient should, I have the utmost faith in my physicians and surgeons to get me through this and back on the road to full recovery.”