Mushkegowuk grand chief battling cancer

Mushkegowuk Grand Chief Stan Louttit is in a battle with cancer.
The Fort Albany First Nation member who grew up in Attawapiskat is in a Kingston hospital after having surgery this past week.
In an open letter to friends and colleagues, Louttit said the surgery was aimed at removing two tumours from his colon and liver.
“Much to my surprise, the cancer had spread to my stomach lining,” Louttit wrote. “The surgeons promptly closed me up.”
Louttit said the news that the cancer had spread came as a shock to himself and his family after doctors in Moose Factory and Kingston did not expect any complications from the surgery.
“As for me, I tried to find some positives out of all of this,” Louttit wrote. “Soon, this positive energy, coupled with our Faith proved to be the answer to our insurmountable problem at the time. We still carry this positive outlook today.”
Now, Louttit is awaiting the treatment process, “whatever form that takes.”
Though the revelation of the cancer spread raises serious health concerns, Louttit remains optimistic.
“With the support of family and friends, things are going to be OK,” he wrote. “One day at a time.”
Louttit is currently serving his third term as Mushkegowuk grand chief since first being elected in 2004. He was re-elected in 2007 and 2011.
Louttit has been involved in First Nations politics for more than 25 years. In 1988, he received the Governor General Medal for Bravery for his assistance during the Winisk Flood.
He also worked at the Moose Factory General Hospital and was chairperson of Mushkegowuk Council from 1992 to 1993. He was twice elected as NAN deputy grand chief, a post he held from 1994-99. He then worked as CEO for Moose Cree First Nation.
As the Mushkegowuk grand chief, Louttit has served to protect the rights and interests of the seven Mushkeogwuk communities.
He was instrumental in bringing awareness of the water crisis in Kashechewan to the government in 2005. That year, he was presented with the Emile Nakogee Award for Leadership at the NAN Keewaywin Conference. Last year, he helped to raise awareness of the housing crisis in Attawapiskat.
Last June, he received an Honorary Doctorate in Education from Nipissing University for his 25-plus years of devotion in the field of politics, which he received alongside former Canadian prime minister Paul Martin.
A Facebook group was created by former Mushkegowuk deputy grand chief and Kashechewan chief Jonathan Solomon called Support and Prayer for Our Grand Chief Stan Louttit and his family.