Rell suffered from Barrett 's Disease , a reflux disease which causes inflammation of the esophagus . He underwent surgery to remove a stage 1 cancerous growth from his esophagus in November 2007 . The surgery largely sidelined Rell from active politics while he recovered at his home in Brookfield . However , he returned to his public role at the Connecticut Governor 's Residence in Hartford following his recovery . Rell struck up discussions of his diagnosis ( and other issues ) with Connecticut House Speaker James Amann ( D ) , who suffered from the same disease . In 2008 , Lou Rell fell suffered a health setback from an undisclosed illness , which caused Governor Rell to cancel plans to attend the 2008 Republican National Convention in Saint Paul , Minnesota . Lou Rell was reportedly disappointed with his inability to attend the convention , as he was a public supporter of Republican Sen. John McCain , who was also a U.S. Naval pilot
2008 Republican National Convention
2008 Republican National Convention
Lou Rell