House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) sat down with Eternal Word Television Network’s News Nightly to discuss how his Catholic faith has played a pivotal role in his life, most recently as he fought multiple myeloma. Leader Scalise shared his thanks to those who prayed for him during his cancer battle, and the results God provided through his complete remission. Leader Scalise also reflected on the fight for his life following the 2017 shooting at a Congressional baseball practice, and the miracles God worked in his recovery. 
    

On Leader Scalise’s recovery from cancer:

“Well it's good to be here, good to be with you as always. For so many people that are watching that said prayers and offered just true genuine support, I can't thank everybody enough because you feel that when you're going through things. And thank God, you know, God performed a lot of miracles and answered a lot of prayers because, you know, if you go back to August when I was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, I didn't even know what that was. 

“I had to be isolated at the hospital and, you know, had to be away from my job. I have a pretty intense job, and I missed being away but I knew I had to focus on my health. And we did, we zoned in really tightly, and then once that was done, and my doctor said, ‘Okay, you're clear. Now you can go back to work and travel again.’ You know, I got back here, and we had a tie vote. A week later I was able to come back and literally broke the tie vote. But you know, I'm very blessed that it was a form of cancer that we caught early enough and treated it and the treatments worked. 

“I'm in remission, and my system is, you know, they kind of clean your system out and I have a new immunity system, and it's working fine now.”

On miracles following the 2017 Congressional baseball practice shooting:

“His intent was to kill all of us on that ball field and again, God performed miracles that day. I mean, no other way to explain some of the things that happened. You know, when I got to the hospital, my doctors said that I didn't even have another minute to spare.”

On the important role that faith plays in Leader Scalise’s life:

“It's strengthened [my faith] in so many ways, and it also put a different focus too on what is really important in life. I said, I've got to put this in God's hands, and I said some really direct prayers to God; asked him for some heady things. And, you know, I started thinking about my young kids, my daughter and you know, wanting to make sure I could go to her wedding. 

“God gives you the strength to get through it, and he puts people around you – and recognize that. You know, it's not just God himself in the flesh, it's doctors and, you know, friends and other people that are in your life that can help you get through those tough times. They might say ‘Hey, God, why aren't you doing enough for me?’ God is. He's sending people to you and you just don't realize that's where they're coming from. And so God gives you a lot of different signals and tools and use every single one of them.”

On protests and violence around the country:

“I would say to any of those people that hate America, that are living here and chant all kinds of anti-American slogans: Where would you rather be? Because by the way, you're free to go to that place. If there is – and they never name a place by the way, they just want to ruin this place. And we can't let that happen.”

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