Dr. Jose Francisco Peña Gomez was released from the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center on Tuesday, 2 October, one week after undergoing surgery to remove two cancerous tumors from his abdomen. The three-time presidential candidate of the Partido Revolucionario Dominicano (PRD) is currently at the Helmsley Medical Tower, near the Sloan Center, with pending medical check-ups with Dr. Murray Brennan, who performed the surgery.
Dr. Peña Gomez is expected to spend several weeks outside the D.R. during his convalescence, as this was the second operation to remove a malignant tumor from his abdomen in two years. He told the newspaper Hoy that he will not be actively participating in politics for the next few months. He also said that he will begin to write his memoirs, which he estimates will take up to six months.