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Bibb Sheriff David Davis being treated for leukemia. ‘They’ve caught it early,’ he says

Bibb County Sheriff David Davis at a 2021 press conference.. Davis was recently diagnosed with leukemia.
Bibb County Sheriff David Davis at a 2021 press conference.. Davis was recently diagnosed with leukemia. jvorhees@macon.com

Bibb County Sheriff David Davis says he learned earlier this week that he is suffering from a curable form of leukemia.

He said he will be hospitalized in Atlanta for at least a few weeks while he undergoes treatment.

Sheriff’s officials made word of Davis’ illness public in a news release Thursday.

Davis, 64, who has been with the sheriff’s office since 1979 and was first elected sheriff in November 2012, said that a routine blood test during a doctor’s visit earlier this month showed abnormalities. Further testing confirmed a leukemia diagnosis on Tuesday.

Davis was checked into Emory University Hospital in Atlanta on Wednesday.

He told The Telegraph by phone on Thursday afternoon that his treatment is “already showing some promise, some progress.”

Davis said he expects to be in the hospital for three or four weeks.

“They’ve caught it early enough,” he said. “They say the kind I have is very treatable, very curable.”

The sheriff said that he still has been doing some work while he is in the hospital.

Speaking of his illness, Davis said, “It’s something we’re gonna get through and overcome and be better for it. ... I love serving the county and I look forward to getting back in the game real soon.”

Joe Kovac Jr.
The Telegraph
Joe Kovac Jr. writes about local news and features for The Telegraph, with an eye for human-interest stories. Joe is a Warner Robins native and graduate of Warner Robins High. He joined the Telegraph in 1991 after graduating from the University of Georgia. As a Pulliam Fellowship recipient in 1991, Joe worked for the Indianapolis News. His stories have appeared in the Washington Post, the Seattle Times and Atlanta Magazine. He has been a Livingston Award finalist and won numerous Georgia Press Association and Georgia Associated Press awards.
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