Former Toronto Mayor Rob Ford in Palliative Care

Former Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is in palliative care after a two-year battle with cancer.

Ford, who now serves on the Toronto city council, was diagnosed with liposarcoma in 2014; in spite of an operation to remove a tumor in his abdomen, the cancer later spread to his bladder, USA Today reports. H

is chief of staff said on Monday that palliative care to ease pain and discomfort “is often administered in conjunction with other treatments, and he has in fact been receiving it almost since first becoming diagnosed, both at home and the hospital.” He added that “everyone is hopeful that his body will be able to fight back enough that he can then undergo further treatment.”

Ford gained international notoriety in 2013 when news broke that he’d been captured on video using crack cocaine. He dropped his 2014 bid for reelection after his cancer diagnosis.

[USA Today]