As president of the Ashtabula County Board of Commissioners during 2010, Joseph Moroski knew he’d have a lot issues to deal with, as the county faces a huge revenue deficit.

A major personal health challenge was not on his list, however.

Commissioner Moroski told the Star Beacon Wednesday that a biopsy taken during his tonsillectomy in December revealed the presence of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and that he is undergoing aggressive chemotherapy.

“2010 will come with some extra challenges,” said Moroski, who is in the final year of his second term as commissioner. “It’s just another challenge. I’m not the only person who is going to have extra challenges in 2010. This is just one more, in addition to everything else.”

Moroski, who is in his early 60s, said the diagnosis caught him and his wife, Encie, by surprise.

“The biopsy did not come back benign as I’d hoped. That kind of initiated the hunt for a good medical team,” said Moroski, who had his first chemotherapy treatment three weeks ago.

Moroski said he has kept private the cancer diagnosis, which he received around Christmas, up until now. He said that when he takes his hat off at the agenda meeting this afternoon, his hair loss is certain to generate questions. He prefers to address them in print.

“My physical appearance has changed and will continue to do so for some time,” said Moroski, who already has lost 15 pounds since starting chemotherapy about three weeks ago. “But with a little bit of luck and good medical care, I hope to have a positive outcome.

“(The treatment) is very aggressive, so it will change my appearance for a while. I wasn’t that good looking to start with, so I’m not losing much,” he added.

Moroski characterized his stage 2 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma as “aggressive” but said it is being attacked with an equally aggressive treatment protocol by an oncologist at the Mentor campus of the University Hospitals’ Ireland Cancer Center. He will have four chemotherapy treatments at 21-day intervals. Moroski said he scheduled the chemotherapy for Fridays so he has the weekend to recover from the side effects.

He has no plans to step down from his job and intends to fulfill his duties throughout the treatment period. He said he also plans to file to run for a third term as commissioner, although he knows he will face some opposition from at least one other Republican candidate in the primary.

“I’ll continue to do what I think is the best thing to do and right thing to do and let the chips fall where they may,” he said.

Moroski said after chemotherapy is done in mid-March, doctors will hit the cancer with radiation. A complete timeline has not been established.

“I’m going to stay optimistic and assume I’ll be able to work my way through this,” he said. “There are no guarantees in life; nothing in life is. But I’m probably on more prayer lists than I know of or can count, and I got my wife of 37 years, who has been great for support.”

Moroski also has struggled with rheumatoid arthritis for eight years, and he said there is some scientific evidence of a link between that autoimmune illness and lymphoma. He’s been unable to take his arthritis medication while on chemotherapy, and while he has not experienced the nausea associated with some chemotherapy, there have been insomnia, fatigue and muscle pain.

“I’m trying to think how this would feel to the average person,” said Moroski. “It would probably feel like you’ve been mugged by four people and they worked you over pretty good.”

Incidentally, the Conneaut resident said he’s qualified to make that analogy because of an experience that happened to him as a college student, but like that mugging some 40 years ago, he’s taking the cancer in stride.

“This is not about feeling sorry for myself,” he said. “I’ve had a wonderful life to date and actually don’t have a whole lot of regrets.”