U.S. Rep. Mark Takai will officially announce today he is running for re-election to a second term despite his bout with pancreatic cancer, saying he is excited about the future and his doctors have cleared him to campaign.

Takai, 48, was elected to his first term in Congress in 2014, representing urban Oahu. He announced in October he had been diagnosed with a small tumor on his pancreas. He had surgery Nov. 10 and was back in the U.S. House to cast a vote by early December.

“The diagnosis really brings things quickly into focus,” he said. “It reminds me of what’s important, and for me that’s faith, family and fighting for Hawaii.”

Takai thanked the people who wrote to him to offer support or to send prayers after his diagnosis, and said he will continue to receive outpatient treatment at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.

Takai said he is proud of what Hawaii’s congressional delegation accomplished during the past year. He said some people were doubtful about how Hawaii would fare on the national scene after the influential U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye died and U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka stepped down in 2013.

“I think a lot of skeptics were saying that the days when Hawaii would receive our fair share of tax dollars were behind us, but you know, this year I can say that we had real results,” he said. “Hawaii’s share of the federal budget has grown by 5 percent this year.”

Takai said he wants to help provide relief for the homeless, intends to press for assistance for young people who are burdened with student loan debt, and wants to provide more opportunities for small-business owners to compete for federal contracts.

Among the proposals he plans to pursue is an initiative that would allow people with federal student loan debt to renegotiate the terms of their loans based in part on their income after college. That might allow a teacher to obtain better terms than a higher-paid professional such as an engineer, he said.

He also said he will advocate for free community college education.

“The truth is, this campaign is bigger than me,” he said. “It’s about the future, it’s about building a future where every American, not just those at the top, have an opportunity to get ahead with more skills, more jobs and more wealth.”

Takai served in the state Legislature for two decades before winning election last year to the U.S. House seat that was vacated by former Rep. Colleen Hanabusa. Takai is an Iraq War veteran and a lieutenant colonel in the Hawaii Army National Guard.

Takai and wife Sami have two children: Matthew, 14, and Kaila, 12.